Men’s basketball faces regional games

The Lake County High School men’s varsity basketball team is on a roll and now faces tough regional games at home this weekend as league and district champions. 

The team will host the first round of 3A regional playoffs on Friday and play the Meeker High School Cowboys at 5:30 p.m., after which Yuma High School will battle the Bayfield Wolverines at 7 p.m. Whoever wins these games will then face off on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the second round. 

Head coach Isaac Martinez said the Panthers hope to pack the gym with spectators this weekend. 

If the team wins on Saturday, they’ll move on to the Elite 8, which is one step closer to the state tournament. 

The road to state picked up last weekend in Arvada with a second round district tournament game on Feb. 24 where the Panthers beat the Bennett High School Tigers 62-39, displaying a strong performance each quarter with scores of 12-2, 17-11, 17-11 and 16-15. 

On Saturday the Panthers were victorious once again, narrowly beating The Pinnacle Charter School of Federal Heights 87-73. Quarter scores were 17-13, 23-21, 27-15 and 20-24. 

The remaining 32 teams in 3A are all talented and the task ahead won’t be easy. Despite this, the Panthers are focused and ready to leave everything they have on the court, said Martinez. 

This past season included both big wins and devastating losses. Since November, the Panthers have overcome challenges and learned how to trust each other and become a team, he added. 

“These gentlemen know we control our own destiny. They’ve earned everything they accomplished and I’m proud to be their coach,” said Martinez. “We believe, we belong, and we will leave no doubt.”