Garden City - The Neosho Panthers had just won two home games in a row then hit the road to take on the Busters of Garden city and extend their win streak to three in a row. Wednesday the Panthers dropped the Busters 69-60 after a back and forth game until the last six minutes of the game as the Panthers took the lead and never looked back. Garden City went in at the half with a 33-28 lead but the Panthers would responded with a great second half  defensively and only allowed the Busters 27 points in the second half. The Panthers would also catch fire going 15 of 17 from the field during the second half. "I thought the guys did a great job defending and rebounding the ball all night," Head Coach Jeremy Coombs said. "I thought we struggled in the fist half to score but really did a better job in the second half of taking what the defense gave us and allowed us to score easy baskets." With a little over seven minutes left in the game Neosho took a 55-47 lead. But thenBusters wouldn't go away as their team leading scorer (Josh Fleming) hit a contested jumper and then hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Busters a 59-58 lead. "They hit some tough shots but those are shots we want teams to take," Said Coombs "Those are shots that people won't consistently make and we just play those percentages. Over time we feel that if we force teams to take tough shots the percentages will play to our favor." In the final six minutes the Panthers held the Busters to only one made free throw. Panthers also won the glass as they out rebounded the Busters 32-29.

Panthers return home Saturday as they host the Butler Grizzlies in their final home game of the season. Saturday will also be a special evening for five sophomores, as we pay them recognition, as they play their final home game as Panthers. Tip is set for 7:30 pm.