DERBY, Kan.—The Hutchinson Salthawks traveled to Derby Tuesday night with big hopes of a sweep or even a split in the games with the Derby Girls and guys but came away empty.
In the girls game, the Lady Salthawks smacked the #4 ranked 6A Panthers in the mouth to lead after the end of the first quarter 14-13, but then Derby slowly pulled away to come out on top 55-42.
In the late game, the Salthawks turned the ball over 4 times in the first 55 seconds of play to trail 6-0 early. The 5 point lead at the end of the 1st quarter grew to 29-22 by halftime, then blossomed into a Panthers win with a 76-60 victory over Hutchinson. That marked 19 straight victories for the Panthers.
Myles Thompson led Hutchinson with 21 points, including 17 in the second half.
A three-point play from Thompson cut its deficit to 10 points, 43-33, with 1:29 left in the third quarter. It spurred an 8-0 Derby run over the next 51 seconds and gave them a 53-36 lead heading into the final quarter.
Derby's Fontaine Williams was its leading Panther scorer with 16 points. He was joined in double figures by senior Isaac Ray with 15 and junior Jameer Clemons 12 points.
Hutchinson returns home to play Newton Friday night. It is homecoming for the Salthawks.