The Panthers extended their home winning streak to 33 games after another victory over a ranked squad. They knocked off No. 13 Rock Valley 69-59 and had a game-high 23 points from Claire Hyde.

Hyde continues her magical season, leading the NJCAA DII ranks in made three-pointers. Tadriana Heard led the nation in three-pointers last season, and the Panthers seem to be picking up right where they left off. Hyde added eight three-pointers on the night, six of which were in the opening half.

"It has been fun to have multiple threats on the floor who can shoot the three. We are all willing to make the extra pass for the great shot because we want one another to succeed, but more so the team. The beautiful thing is that it could be one person one night and another person the next," star guard Claire Hyde said.

Entering the matchup, the Panthers had three players in the Top 11 of the DII ranks in three-pointers made. Jalyssa Carrasco, Kaylen Evans, and Hyde put on another dazzling display from the outside.

The three combined for 54 points with 15 made three-pointers in the victory. The team combined to make 16 three-pointers, which increased their nation-leading average of 12.1 per game. Carrasco has torched the nets and seemed to have found her magic spot hitting a few corner three-pointers.

"The corners have become my favorite spot on the floor. I knew I would get a lot of shots there tonight, so every time I ended up in the corner, I was waiting and ready to shoot. It's fun to play when everybody is hitting, but it's even more fun to play when everyone is playing hard and finding a way to win, and that's what we've been doing," Carrasco said. 

One of the turning points was when the Panthers were trailing by 6 points, 20-14. The Panthers would end the half on a 27-11 run thanks to the three-point shot.

The 27-11 run was impressive as the Panthers swung the ball around the perimeter with purpose and quickly caught fire. They led at halftime 41-31 and found open shooters ready to connect from deep. They came to play, and the shots fell on a night that favored the unbeaten Panthers.

The end of the third quarter was when the Panthers hung onto their 10-point lead and led by double-figures for most of the second half.

Frannie Metz finished with 7 points, and Mia Simpson added 6 points as the tandem was able to get several second and third opportunities on missed shots from the outside.

The Panthers head on the road Saturday to South Holland to take on 8-3 South Suburban. The Bulldogs are not members of the Skyway Conference, but they knocked off a pair of squads in recent weeks.

They hosted Lake County, Oakton, and Prairie State. They also went on the road at McHenry County before their three home matchups, and they ended up splitting the four games. 

While the Panthers could have a challenging fourth game away from home, they are No. 2 in the rankings for a reason. 

The Panthers were averaging the most three-pointers in the DII ranks entering the night with 12.1 per game, and they did not disappoint in the victory.

The Panthers connected on 11 three-pointers in the first half and ended up with 16 in total. Hyde hit seven from deep, with Carrasco connecting on five and Evans with three. Metz joined the three-point barrage and added one in the 10-point victory on Thursday night. The Panthers have won 30 consecutive regular-season games after knocking off No. 13 Rock Valley.

"We got through a really good team last night in Rock Valley. They can play. This was a tough game considering who we had to play this past weekend with ICC and Lakeland. We found a way. To come out unblemished over the last three-plus weeks against the teams we played speaks volumes about our potential. We can be very good. We have things to work on, and our staff will continue to hammer those things to our team," head coach Jason Nichols said. 

A road trip to South Holland against the Bulldogs of South Suburban will be next, with tip-off at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

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