Lady Panthers open Benton tournament with two wins

BENTON - The Pinckneyville High School girls basketball team opened the Benton Rangerette Christmas Classic with two wins in pool play Thursday, first against Herrin (42-33) and then against Mt. Vernon (43-42).

The second game ending in thrilling fashion with Megan Breslin knocking down a 3-poiner from the corner at the buzzer for the victory over the Lady Rams.

In the morning opener, Pinckneyville used a 17-7 run in the second quarter to build a lead and then held on to knock off the Lady Tigers. Breslin led all scorers with 16 points and Bella Pasquino and Lily Tanner both had 11.

"Our trap really gave them trouble," said Pinckneyville coach Alan Engelhardt. "Bella was really good offensively in the first half with three 3-pointers and Lily was really good in the second half, handling the ball and knocking down free throws. Megan was good throughout."

Then against Herrin, Breslin again led with 13 points and Tanner had 12. Pasquino had seven and Kiya Hagene added a key six points for the Lady Panthers, who are now moving forward without leading scorer Kenzie Rushing after a knee injury.

Pinckneyville then took on Hamilton County in a crossover game Friday night and lost, 52-35, despite taking a 16-15 lead into halftime. The Lady Foxes, who went on a 20-9 run in the third quarter, were 17 of 18 from the foul line.

Payton Morgan was Pinckneyville's leading scorer with 10 points, followed by Pasquino (9), Tanner (7) and Breslin (6).

Pinckneyville (9-7) finishes the tournament against Carterville on Saturday at 6 p.m.