By Taylor Penn

Staff Writer

Celina 38, VA 30

Fresh off two straight district wins, at home against Commerce and on the road over Anna, the Van Alstyne Panthers traveled to Celina on Tuesday evening looking to make it three in a row over the rival Bobcats. Van Alstyne lost to the Bobcats in the final seconds when the two teams met earlier in the season and, unfortunately for the Panthers, the result would be the same this time around. Celina walked away with a 38-30 victory in the low-scoring bout.

The Panthers did not have a scorer in double digits but were led by Michael Sorrel’s nine points and 10 rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. The two teams combined for only 10 total points in the first quarter, with Van Alstyne holding a 6-4 advantage heading into the second period.

Both offenses woke up in the second quarter, however, as Celina outscored the Panthers 13-9 to take a two-point lead into the locker room at halftime. CJ White was the Panthers’ second leading scorer on the night with eight points, five rebounds and one block. It was anyone’s game heading into the second half of play but the Van Alstyne offense was unable to put enough points on the board to overcome the two-point deficit and regain the lead. Celina did just enough to hold on for the home win.

It was a rough offensive night for Van Alstyne all the way around. The Panthers struggled to knock down free throws against the Bobcats, shooting just 20 percent - 3-of-15 - from the charity stripe. Other Van Alstyne scorers included: Mark Davis (6), Logan Siedelmann (4), and Zach Davis (3).

With the loss, Van Alstyne falls to 2-3 in district play and 9-16 on the year.

VA 56, Anna 46

Coming off its first district win of the year over Commerce, Van Alstyne looked to even up its district record as it traveled to Anna on Friday night to face the Coyotes, who were still looking for their first win in district play. Michael Sorrels scored the first points of the game, hitting a bucket in the paint to put the Panthers up by two. Jacob Arvin answered for Anna and Tyler Elliott hit another shot for the Coyotes but Sorrels and the Panthers were able to take a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Sorrels, one of three Van Alstyne scorers in double-digits, finished the night with a team-high 14 points and three rebounds. Zach Davis was second on the team with 12 points and CJ White was third with 11. White also grabbed 11 rebounds. Initially, both offenses were having difficulty getting going as the two teams combined for a mere 12 points in the first quarter. Van Alstyne’s offense came alive in the second quarter, however, as the Panthers put together a 14-4 run that resulted in an Anna timeout. Cory Meaders hit a shot to bring Anna within eight but in the last minute of the half Zach Davis responded with two big three pointers and the Panthers took a 30-19 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Panthers picked up right where they left off as they went on a 9-0 run to start the second quarter, adding cushion to their double-digit lead. The Coyotes fought back to cut the Panther lead from 18 to just six with under a minute left to play. However, the Panthers were able to sink some late free throws to seal the deal as they obtained their second district win, in the 10-point triumph over Anna. Van Alstyne looks to even up its district record as it hosts Bonham, which is currently undefeated in district play, on Friday night at 7 p.m.