by Gunnar Davis

The season opener for the PCM Mustangs girls’ basketball team on Nov. 21 at home turned out to be unsuccessful. The Mustangs took on the Knoxville Panthers and gave them a good run, but PCM came up short, losing 54-47.
Senior Rachel Freland scored the first five points for the Mustangs to start the game, but after a quarter of play, it was the Panthers up 11-10. The game was a defensive battle throughout the first half. The two teams went back and forth for a while, and heading into halftime, the Panthers were only up by one, 25-24.
A strong third quarter from Knoxville made it difficult for the Mustangs to try and catch up during the fourth. But the Mustangs tied up the score with a few minutes remaining and made it a game. Again, the Panthers responded and hit two three-pointers in a row, putting the game out of reach for the Mustangs.
“The game was a learning point to start,” Freland said. “We needed to get this game out of the way, and our jitters. We are a new team, and it will get better.”
Senior Courtney Van Houweling led PCM with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Freland also had 14 points. Sophomores Katie Vande Wall and Kayla Jennings each had six boards.
“We lost by seven points to a very aggressive Knoxville team,” Head Coach Bret Grier said. “They had some tall, tough players inside. A couple of six-foot girls that I actually thought we handled pretty well. Even though we got beat it was good to see what we need to work on, how they exposed us and where we need to go from here.  And I think our team will respond well.”
Grier mentioned that he liked the way his girls rebounded and fought for steals, but said the girls could still use some work taking care of the ball.
The Mustangs’ second game was at home against Greene County on Nov. 25. The next game you can catch will be at home against South Hamilton. The games will be a boys’ and girls’ double-header with the girls starting at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 2.