The Oswego East Wolves beat the Oswego Panthers 67-58 on Friday, Feb. 8 and clinched a share of the Southwest Prairie Conference with the win. Boise State commit, senior Ray J. Dennis, dropped 28 points for the Wolves to help secure the win. Senior forward Kamron Battle added another 16 for OE.
The Panthers started off hot in the first quarter shooting 5/7 from beyond the arc, getting off to a 20-13 lead. Senior guard Jacob Wayne scored 11 of his career high 21 points in the first quarter, torching the Wolves with five three-pointers over the course of the game. Recent Link Year Prep commit senior guard Dylan Engler helped with the early charge against the Wolves, dropping 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
After performing well in the first, the Panthers offense struggled in the second quarter. They shot 2/17, giving up the lead to the Wolves 26-24 going into halftime. The Panthers lackluster offense would not get the job done against this well-rounded Oswego East team.
“The second quarter was really tough for us,” Engler said. “We weren’t shooting the ball well at all.”
In the third quarter, the Wolves were leading by three when Dennis threw a lob to senior Kamron Battle. After Battle threw down the dunk, Orange Crew, the Panther student section, was silenced as the Wolf Pack roared with excitement. This led to a 6-0 run for the Wolves and three bad possessions by the Panthers.
The momentum the Wolves took at the end of the game is what really pushed them over the top. Their energy level increased to the roof and the Panthers just couldn’t respond.
The fourth quarter started 47-42 Wolves. The Panthers tried to make a comeback with 5:05 left in the fourth, until Dennis came out hot and scored the first six points of the fourth, making it 53-42, the Panthers unable to have an answer for Dennis. He sealed the game with a transition dunk that sent OE into a frenzy, and dramatically sealed the fate of the Panthers.
The Panthers have now dropped their last two games. They’ll look to get back on track when they take on Joliet Central on Hall of Fame night this Saturday, Feb. 16.
