The Panthers have now won six of their past seven games and earned the victory in their Skyway opener on Tuesday night over Oakton, 86-59.

There were five that reached double figures, and nine players ended up scoring in the road win. Manny Rodriguez has been on fire from behind the arc this season, and the Panther guards have collectively been clutch alongside Matas Deksnys.

"Manny and Matas are both players that we can depend on every night," head coach Jon Rush said.

The dynamic duo dropped a combined 21 points and five three-pointers, but it was more than the pair of leading scorers. Evan Bush led the way with a game-high 17 points, and Kyren Gardner had 14 in their 27-point victory. 

"Our goal was to come out and set the tone defensively with the start of conference play. Our win was just a result of our guys executing the game plan. We spend a lot of time studying the scouting reports," Rush said.

Myles Griffith had an underrated 12 points and scored with the ability to attack the paint. The bench production has been improving, and posting double figures with ease is an advantage they could have in their back pocket for the games ahead.

The Panthers shot over 50% from the field (34-for-60) and connected on nine three-pointers. Having tremendous production and offensive balance in the Skyway opener was a treat, and the quick turnaround is something the squad will have to get used to this season.

There will be scheduled Tuesday and Thursday games for the rest of the season, with two non-conference matchups. 

The quick turnaround means the Panthers must put their Oakton victory behind them. A Thursday home date in Cicero is at 7:15 pm with McHenry County.

One Skyway victory is in the books, and there are 13 that remain. If they can stay committed on the defensive end and continue to torch the nets offensively, the Panthers could put together an impressive Skyway season.

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