Tuesday was a night of firsts for Petal. The Panthers picked up their first win of the season, defeating FCAHS 68-45. It was also first-year coach Todd Kimble’s first victory with the team.
But rather than reflect on its significance, Kimble was ready to turn the page and get better.
“A win’s a win, but as a coach, I’m always looking at what we could’ve done better and how we can improve,” Kimble said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s good to win, but we’ve got a lot of things we can fix.”
Following what Kimble called a “sloppy” first half, the Panthers took a 32-22 lead into halftime of Tuesday’s game. His message at the break was simple.
“I told them, ‘We’re not running or executing, we’re taking bad shots and we’re not defending like we’re capable of defending. We can either fix it now or work the rest of the week on all those things’.”
“I think they decided to get it done tonight.”
Kimble’s Panthers outscored the Aggies 19-3 in the third quarter and 36-23 the rest of the way in picking up the win.
“I’m pleased with how we played in the third quarter. I’m not real pleased with how we played the first two,” Kimble said. “We’ve got a lot of things to fix, but I think we’re on the right track. We’ve gotta be able to play for four quarters and right now, we’re not able to do that.”
Caleb McGill led the way for Petal with 19 points. Treylan Smith finished second with 14 points, while Mykah Brown added 10.
Jason Morgan (11 points), Keegan Odom (10 points) and Jase Scarborough (10 points) were FCAHS’ leading scorers.
Petal Lady Panthers 48, FCAHS 38
The Lady Panthers held off a late comeback attempt from the Lady Aggies in picking up their second win of the season. Myla Cox led Petal with 20 points, while Taityana Pittman added 10.
Bria Keith (14 points) and Abby Ruffin (12 points) led the way for FCAHS.
