Box Score Facing their first ranked opponent of the season, the Neosho County Panthers needed to get off to a fast start Friday (Nov. 23) night. Unfortunately for the Panthers, it was 15th ranked Barton that got off to the quick start jumping out to a big lead and cruising to an 89-62 win in the opening game of the Best Western Angus Inn - Cougar Booster Club Thanksgiving Classic.
 
The Panthers struggled in the first half with the Cougar defense shooting just 25% from the field and committing 13 first half turnovers. Barton had no such trouble in the first half as they shot 55% from the field including 8 three pointers while turning the ball over only 6 times in the first half.
 
The Panthers shot a blistering 70% in the second half including 5-7 from three, but they were unable to chip away at the Barton lead. Barton took advantage of a huge rebounding advantage in the second half, outrebounding the Panthers 27-12 in the second half using 10 offensive rebounds to keep the Panthers at bay.
 
Jeremy Nolen led the Panthers with 16 points on the night while Jake Stoppel added 8 points and 8 rebounds in the loss. The Panthers fall to 5-2 on the season with the loss. They will take on Brown Mackie College at 3:00 pm on Saturday (Nov. 24) to close out their trip to Great Bend.