Panthers win nail-biter over No. 15 Earlham

A crazy finish to a back-and-forth game gave the Panthers their 10th win of the year in a 59-56 victory over No. 15 Earlham Thursday at home.

“This was a big win for us! Earlham came into the game 15-4, ranked in 2A, and fresh off of a win over Nodaway Valley,” coach Tony Neubauer said.

Kadley Bailey drove in a score to end the third quarter, following a 3-pointer by Marlee Stalker to give the Panthers a 39-37 edge going into the final eight minutes.

Senior Hollynn Rieck put the Panthers up by four on a rebound she took down the court for a score. On the Cardinals’ next possession, Rieck claimed one of her 10 steals on the night — tying the single-game school record.

With three minutes left to play, the Panthers were sitting pretty after Rieck banked a 3-pointer to give Creston a 49-44 advantage.

Earlham quickly chipped away at the lead, and were down by just one with under two minutes to play.

Stalker nailed another 3-pointer to give Creston back its two-score buffer. Bailey added to it on an assist from Rieck, but Earlham responded, and was down by just one point as the clock ticked down.

The Panthers held out, Rieck getting the Panthers to 59 points and earning a triple-double with a steal and bucket in the last 10 seconds.

“Hollynn Rieck had one of the best all around nights in Panther history,” Neubauer said. “She recorded our first ever triple double, being only two assists short of a quadruple double. She also went over 200 steals, which is second all time only to Kadley. Hollynn is a fierce competitor and when she’s on, she can take over a game in a lot of different ways. To say her performance was special would be an understatement.”

Bailey had a game-high 26 points as senior Ella Turner sat out of the contest.

“We chose to sit Ella out for some rest after getting banged up against Clarke on Monday,” Neubauer explained. “Our two sophomores stepped up big time. Marlee Stalker hit two big threes in the second half, and did a great job of filling in for Ella at the high post on defense in her first varsity start. Jensan Tussey did a good job attacking the rim and was steady on defense.”

The Panthers’ 10 wins is only the ninth time they’ve reached the milestone in 33 years of 5-on-5 basketball.

Monday the Panthers lost 50-46 to Kuemper Catholic (15-4). Tuesday they played at Clarinda.