JUDA — The Panthers gave up an 11-point lead to the Eagles, falling 51-49 in a nonconference game Dec. 16. Faith Christian pulled away at the end largely at the free-throw line as three Juda players fouled out. Had the Panthers pulled out a win, it would have been their second of the season — the same number of victories they had all last year.

“They battled hard and unfortunately, we came up short tonight,” Juda head coach Justy Roth said. “That’s a group that wanted this one badly. We just couldn’t squeak it out, but it’s a building piece and a learning piece for the next one.”

Juda opened in a 1-3-1 zone, focusing on trapping in the corners. The pressure kept the Eagles at bay, while the Panthers jumped out to a 9-3 lead using their height. Rianna Sullivan grabbed a tipped shot and put it back for two. She then got fouled grabbing a rebound and went 1-for-2 from the line. Makenna Scheidegger also scored on an offensive putback.

Attempting to dampen Juda’s scoring, Faith Christian extended its pressure to the full-court setting, but the Panthers quickly broke the press and scored. Anna Bartels dribbled across halfcourt, drew pressure and passed to a wide-open Scheidegger for two.

“I told the ref we got Jordan Love out there,” Roth said. “I mean, it was a beautiful pass.”

Juda’s lead reached double figures, 19-8, with a jumper from Bartels just off the elbow. Sullivan extended that lead with a pick-and-roll bucket. But that’s when Faith Christian began its 9-0 run.

Sullivan picked up her third foul, which sent Emily Sorensen to the line for bonus. Although Sorensen missed the initial shot, Sullivan stepped into the lane too early, giving Sorensen another chance. She then went 2-for-2.

The Eagles scored their next six points in transition. Whitney Turner assisted Sorensen for two, while Brooke Ballard and Sorensen took steals back for two points. They threatened to tie the game going into the locker room, but Jianna Tartaglia’s buzzer-beating three fell short. Juda maintained a 25-22 advantage.  

But Faith Christian quickly knotted the score at 25 and 27 before taking a 28-27 lead with a free throw from Turner. It was the Eagles’ first advantage since 3-2 in the first half.

While the team exchanged buckets — keeping it a one-possession game — fouls piled up for the Panthers. Bartles and Sullivan picked up their fourth fouls, while Scheidegger tallied her third. 

The Eagles, too, ran into foul trouble, which was exacerbated when Liz Schmidt fouled out. Homan had sealed Schmidt to gain position under the basket on an out-of-bounds play, scored and made the and-one. The old-fashioned three-point play had Juda trailing just 42-41.

“We needed a momentum changer,” Roth said. “If she can continue to get those as she grows as a basketball player, that will be huge.”

But the momentum shifted right back, as Bartels fouled out of the game six seconds later. Sorensen made both her subsequent bonus free throws and another bucket after to make it a 46-41 game.

Just as Juda tied the game back up with free throws from Scheidegger and Homan, Sullivan picked up her fifth foul, putting the remaining substitute Sophie Bolton in the game. To make sure there was an extra player on the bench, Roth fetched Lily Zimmerman from the JV game.

“It’s something we’ve talked about a lot,” Roth said of fouling and giving opponents chances at the charity stripe. It’s just not giving anyone free opportunities. Obviously when they make more free throws than us, that’s a frustrating stat to have. That coincided with us getting into foul trouble. Those are two things that we know every game, we can’t be doing and certainly tonight we could not.”

Tied up once more at 49, Turner grabbed a defensive rebound and passed up the court to Tartaglia for a 51-49 lead with 27.1 seconds left. She missed the and-one and both her double bonus free throws seconds later, leaving the door open for Juda to tie the game on a bucket or win it with a 3-pointer. Roth called a timeout with 8.5 seconds left to set up a play. 

Ryleigh Brown received the inbounds, dribbled the ball up the court and passed along the perimeter to Scheidegger, who put up a 3-point attempt with 2.5 seconds left that fell short as the buzzer sounded.

With no seniors on the team, underclassmen like Scheidegger have had to step up in big moments like these. While they may not be executing now, Roth knows the experience will pay off in the future.

“They play big minutes for us,” Roth said of the underclassmen. “We have no seniors, so what they (underclassmen) can do for us and grow for us is going to be important.”