Panther basketball puts up fight against No 2 DeSoto, comes up short

Senior Elijah Caldwell defends the basket as DeSoto's Marques Bolden dunks during a tough district loss. Photo By Cynthia Rangel
Senior Elijah Caldwell defends the basket as DeSoto’s Marques Bolden dunks during a tough district loss. Photo By Cynthia Rangel
Struggling to shutdown five star DeSoto recruit Marques Bolden, the Panthers Varsity Basketball team suffered yet another loss to No. 2 ranked DeSoto 98-73, last Friday night ending their first round of district play. Desoto came out hot from the gate and Duncanville could never find a solution. This leaves the team in the fourth place spot in District 8-6A heading into tonight’s 7:30 matchup with Mansfield.

Five-star recruit, Marques Bolden, dominated the first quarter. His brick-wall defense and drives in the paint left even the best of defenders helpless. Also Desoto continued to drain threes with ease. Duncanville managed put points on the board but could hardly keep the score within a 10 point reach.

In the second quarter, the Panthers caught Desoto off-guard, but turned the ball over way too many times for comfort. Desoto seniors Chase Winchester and Jordan Berry responded with buckets from beyond the arch. However, Duncanville’s Jalen Harris barely missed any shots he took, basically putting the team on his back. His performance wasn’t enough as he Duncanville trailed nearly by nineteen points at the half.

The second half, was nearly a repeat of the first. The Panthers could put up points but could never string a decent run together. Marques led the game with blocks and Desoto did more than keep their distance.

The first round of district ended on a sour note for the Panthers who have a current record of 2-4 in district play. That currently places them in a three-way tie for 4th place which ironically is the cutoff point for the final playoff spot. They are tied with Midlothian who beat them earlier and Grand Prairie who are among one of the teams they beat this season.

If Duncanville wants to secure a chance to play in the post season they’re going to need a strong second half of district. This includes wins against the teams mentioned above and possibly an SGP or Cedar Hill upset. Duncanville has more than enough talent to defeat and even upset anyone in this district, but they just need to play with more urgency and make their shots when given the easy opportunities.