The Panthers have started their new year off the right way and are now winners in five of their last six games. The balanced offensive attack has played a role with a few new faces on the hardwood.

After posting a victory over Wilbur Wright to start January off on the right note, they followed it up with a second half comeback that led to their 76-63 win over Lake Michigan College.

Xavier Spencer dropped a team-high 15 points in the victory, but five reached double figures on Saturday afternoon.

Lonnel Strickland, Matas Deksnys, Evan Bush, and Manny Rodriguez all had at least 11 points. Rodriguez came off the bench and continued his impressive winter.

Connecting on a pair of three-pointers and knocking down both of his free throws, the Panther star guard has been a blessing to follow this season. 

The ability to dissect a defense and have a bevy of shot-makers has made it challenging for opposing defenders. 

Bush has been a productive new addition for the second half thus far and can help the team at rebounding the basketball. 

While Bush failed to take outside shots, the rest of the team can help with the perimeter play. He added nine rebounds (team-high), which balanced out the squad. Taking the higher percentage and better looks should make them more offensively balanced. 

Looking at the numbers, the Panthers outrebounded Lake Michigan by five and were plus-nine in the turnover margin. Many teams are careless with the ball, and games against better competition can have fewer possessions.

Making that extra pass and not having an overreliance on the outside jumper could make them one of the favorites this season for the Skyway crown. 

Despite trailing by six points at halftime, the Panthers were able to get critical stops during crunch time. Lake Michigan shot nearly 50% in the first half but finished the game shooting 34.4% (22-for-64) thanks to the Panthers' effort.

"Our game was won on the defensive end of the floor, holding them to 25 points in the second half," head coach Jon Rush said. 

The Panthers limited and allowed only eight buckets in the second half to Lake Michigan. That included an impressive 1-for-8 defensive performance from three-point territory. 

Outscoring the opposition by 19 points in the second half was vital, and the Panthers will set their eyes on Skyway play. 

Among their final 16 scheduled games remaining, 14 are against conference foes.

A trip to Des Plaines against Oakton on Tuesday has a quick turnaround. They will be hosting McHenry County on Thursday night, so those two matchups could go a long way in determining their conference championship aspirations.

All the scheduled conference matchups are at 7:15 pm. So, check out the Panthers in person as they continue their winning ways.

If you cannot catch any future home games in person, follow the team on our Facebook page and Youtube. Also, check out GoMCPanthers.com and our social media pages @McAthletics1924 for more upcoming featured recaps, previews, quotes, and all the latest news for Panther hoops.