The top-ranked Panthers are 22-0 with three weeks remaining in the regular season. Skyway competition is heating up, and the Region IV Tournament is right around the corner.

Heading on the road for a pair of road games this week will challenge No. 1 Morton College as they prepare for their stretch run. 

Leading the NJCAA DII ranks in 3-pointers made per game is one of the many categories they have been towards the top of the leaderboard.

Their balanced offensive attack has all the ingredients for another deep run at Nationals. Guards Claire Hyde, Kaylen Evans, and Jalyssa Carrasco all enter the week in the top five for made 3-pointers.

They have also shown the ability to score in transition and half-court sets. The production they have had from Mia Simpson has been off the charts. 

Leading the nation with a 73.7 shooting percentage has been video game-like for the Panthers. She led the nation in shooting percentage last season and has followed it up with another sensational season.

She has been on a tear this season and gives the Panthers a balanced attack where opposing teams cannot key in on one specific player. The athletic ability to glide past oncoming traffic and would-be defenders puts them at an advantage. 

Simpson may not be a 6-footer, but she can defend any player on the court with her quick burst and athleticism that she often uses in the open court. 

The Panthers as a team have put on a clinic in Skyway play. They have dropped at least 90 points in six of the last seven conference games while allowing fewer than 50 points all but once.

Sitting atop the conference standings at 8-0, Morton College has an average margin of victory of 52.1 points per game. 

Averaging 94.3 points per game against Skyway foes, the Panthers' elite defense allows only 42.1 points. Their season total for points allowed sits at 46.1, which ranks second-best in the NJCAA DII ranks.

McHenry is currently second in the Skyway at 6-2 with a five-game winning streak. They have not lost a conference game since they last matched up with the Panthers.

It was on their January 12th Skyway meeting where the Panthers won going away, 111-44. Five were in double figures, and they had a game-high 29 from Kaylen Evans.

Posting her second-highest point total of the season, Evans and company will look for another impressive victory over McHenry on Tuesday night. Following the Tuesday road meeting, they will prepare for Prairie State.

Catching fire down the stretch run, 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, games, and all the latest news for Panther hoops.