BELOIT — Defeating Beloit for the second year in a row to start the season 1-0, the Concordia boys basketball team defeated their rival 67-61.
After Beloit scored the first basket of the game, the Panthers took full control of the first quarter. The Panthers took the lead on a three-pointer from Boone Richard and never looked back. The Panthers went on a 20-7 run for the rest of the quarter and ended the first quarter up 23-9.
Things would level out in the second quarter as Beloit’s offense found their groove and the Panther offense cooled off a bit. Concordia held a double-digit lead all the way up until 1:23 remaining in the second quarter, when Beloit made it a 32-24 game. A final basket by the Panthers made it a 34-24 game to enter halftime.
Concordia’s offense retook the momentum in the third quarter, with the Panthers being able to keep the Trojans in at least a three-possession hole. Concordia was able to get quality looks inside as the Panthers outscored the Trojans 19-13 in the third, capped off with a near half-court three from Grayson Farha to end the quarter with a 55-37 lead.
The fourth quarter saw a last gasp from Beloit as the Trojans did outscore the Panthers by 10 in the quarter and were able to get the lead and final score back down to single digits, but the Panther lead was too strong and they held off their rival as the Panthers took the 69-61 victory.
“We were very pleased with how we began the game, and the first quarter really went the way we wanted it to and we were able to play really well,” said head coach Shane Traughber. “As we started getting into foul trouble and getting careless with the ball, Beloit was able to tighten the game back up. Hopefully, we can learn from this game and work on playing a bit more under control.”
Ian Loudermilk led in scoring with 21 points and had three rebounds.
Ayden Krier had 13 points, six assists and three rebounds.
Richard had nine points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
