The Panthers have been dominant at home and they continued their winning ways on Thursday night in a 91-43 victory over Olive-Harvey.
It was the program's 28th straight victory at home and we have seen 25 straight victories in the regular season, which dates back to November of 2021. They also entered the season with a record of 32-0 against Region IV opponents from the state of Illinois over the past two seasons.
In the victory over Olive-Harvey, four were in double figures, and the team combined for 16 three-pointers.
Entering the night, the No. 2 ranked Panthers were second in the country with 56 made three-pointers.
The backcourt played like stars as Mia Simpson, Claire Hyde, and Kaylen Evans combined for 50 points and 10 made three-pointers.
"It was great for us to be able to execute against a solid team. The energy was high and everybody was able to contribute which is always fun! We need to continue to improve and get better for our upcoming games, but I'm proud of our girls tonight," Hyde said.
On the season, Hyde has been a lights-out shooter connecting on 19-of-48 three-pointers prior to the Thursday night victory. Adding on five more three-pointers now gives her 24 on the season.
The nation's leader (NJCAA Division II) entering Thursday night was at 20, which goes to show the early season success from the Panther guard. The 104 points on the season for the star brings her season average to 20.8 points per game.
An interesting note on the victory was both teams each made the same number of two's and three's in the matchup.
Kaylen Evans is another star that has put on a clinic thus far in the season. The electric scorer has made multiple three-pointers in all five games.
Hyde, Evans, and Simpson have now scored in double figures in every game thus far. A successful Panther backcourt has been a trend these past few seasons, so look for the trio to continue the winning tradition.
The Panthers have plenty of upcoming challengers that will certainly help improve the team before Skyway play.
Until then they have plenty of additional opportunities against elite competition. They originally had a game scheduled at No. 20 Muskegon on Saturday, but that game has been canceled due to weather conditions. They have also added a game in Florida on December 16th, which will only add to their upcoming strength of schedule.
Muskegon was one of the several teams on the slate that was either ranked and or appeared in Port Huron last season. Still, the Panthers will have three games against uber-talented teams in the two weeks following Thanksgiving.
No. 5 Bryant & Stratton is one of the top opponents in the country and made it to Nationals last season in Port Huron, Michigan. In fact, the Bobcats ended up making it all the way to the National Semifinals.
No. 15 Illinois Central then follows the Bobcats and they are another team that appeared in the National Tournament last March. Taking on these tournament squads consecutively will allow the Panthers to see where they are before Skyway play begins after the New Year.
The schedule is a gauntlet but it will certainly make the second-ranked Panthers even stronger as a team.
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