Box Score It wasn't always pretty, but it was just what the Panthers needed to snap a 3 game losing streak. The Panthers were in control for most of the game's first 30 minutes. They took a 15 point lead to the lockers at half time and it stayed that way for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
 
It was at that point that things started to go cold for Neosho County. Leading 55-40 with 11:33 to play and looking like things were very much in hand, the Panthers went over 6 minutes without a field goal as Johnson came all the way back to take the lead with 5 minutes remaining.
 
Johnson would open up a 3 point lead with just over 3 minutes to go before the Panthers battled back to tie it up. Johnson once again took the lead again on a pair of free throws with 9 seconds remaining. Keegan Oyugi's drive and dish set up a tough finish for D'Avonte Garland who managed to lay it in with 1.5 seconds left and send it to overtime.
 
The Panthers would never trail in the overtime period and opened up a 5 point lead with 1:32 to play before a 3 from Johnson cut the lead to 2 with 55 seconds left. Jamie Batish, the Panthers leading 3 point shooter, had been kept in check for most of the night but came through when Neosho needed him most. With the shot clock winding down and the Cavaliers building momentum, Batish came off a screen and knocked in his first 3 of the game to push the lead back out to 5. A pair of free throws from D'Avonte Garland would ice the game and help the Panthers improve to 9-11, and 2-6 in conference play.
 
Keegan Oyugi had a great all around night as the freshman finished with 15 points on 5-7 shooting while pulling in 3 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists while committing no turnovers in his 31 minutes of play. Jake Stoppel finished the night with his third double-double of the season as he had a team high 19 points to go with his 10 rebounds. D'Avonte Garland and Daniel Magley were the other two Panthers to score in double figures as they finished with 16 and 10 respectively while each dishing out 3 assists.
 
Next up for the Panthers will be a home game with 12-8,5-4 Highland on Wednesday (Jan 30) night at 7:30 pm. The game Wednesday will wrap up the first trip around the Jayhawk Conference this season as they crucial stretch run gets under way. With the win the Panthers now trail Independence by 2 games in the race to host a first round playoff game.