The Panthers finished their Tuesday night matchup against Governors State JV with another home victory, 108-21.
The squad has now rattled off 30 consecutive wins at home, and the confidence level continues to rise.
In the victory, the Panthers had a plethora of scorers. Every rotation player can reach double figures, and they all nearly did.
Jalyssa Carrasco dropped 15 points with all them coming via the three-pointer as the team combined for 15. The total points and three-pointers made were her second-highest on the season behind a performance against Wilbur Wright on November 5.
"I think our prep for a big week full of tough games coming up is essential. Our intensity in practice translates to consistency in things we've worked at, like our shooting, which is evident in games," Carrasco said.
Carrasco brings plenty of experience for a team that lost a pair of All-American performers last season. Having started in all four games during their trip to Port Huron for Nationals, Carrasco started all 33 games last season and was towards the top of the team in minutes played.
Claire Hyde posted 16 points and entered the night tied as the nation's leader in the NJCAA Division II ranks with 27 made three-pointers. She added three more to her season total and wasn't needed much longer after an impressive 36-0 run early in the first half by the Panthers.
Shooting 39.7% percent is impressive, but the collective team effort has given headaches to opposing defenders.
The Panthers came into the night making the most three-pointers per game at 13.2, and they had no issues exceeding that average on Tuesday night. They led the Jaguars 67-7 at the half and never looked back during their 87-point victory.
Besides Carrasco's five connections from behind the arc, Kaylen Evans and Hyde combined to make seven of their own. The other three belonged to Frannie Metz, Josylin Simmons-Doxie, and Jovanna Martinucci. The impressive part was that the Panthers made no three-pointers in the first quarter as they attempted to work on their inside game.
Evans had no issues reaching double figures once again, scoring a game-high 20 points. We are seven games into the season, and we have seen both Evans and Hyde reach double figures in all seven games. Simpson had eight and was unstoppable in the paint, living up to her billing as the 2021-22 DII leader in field-goal percentage.
The bench totaled 35 points, thanks to Gianine Boado posting nearly one-third of them with 10. Boado made an impact at Nationals last season while coming off the bench. Early indications are that she will make even more of an impact this season.
The No. 2 Panthers are now 7-0, and their ability to go on a flurry of runs throughout a game has separated them from most teams.
The upcoming weekend will challenge the 7-0 Panthers. After hosting a top 10 squad in Bryant & Stratton last week, they will host a pair of top 20 teams.
A Friday night showdown with No. 14 Illinois Central will have an even quicker turnaround the next day against No. 20 Lakeland.
Overall, the team knows they have many more upcoming challengers that have shown enough capability. There are ranked teams with experience from Port Huron coming to Cicero, so the Panthers will have to continue defending their home-court advantage (30 games).
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