After a close 50-49 non-league loss against Lake City (Idaho) on Nov. 29, the Panthers traveled to Richland on Dec. 5 to play a tough battle against the Bombers. Wenatchee’s defense struggled to hold Richland’s offense, and their second non-league game resulted in an 86-66 loss.

“Offensively we were playing pretty well, but on the defensive side we needed to step it up if we wanted to beat a good team like Richland,” junior shooting guard Grady Miller said.

At halftime the Panthers were down by 20 points, but going into the fourth quarter they cut it to eight points to put them in a good position to win. Unfortunately, the team struggled during the fourth quarter.

Richland’s junior guard Steven Beo, a University of Washington recruit, managed to break through Wenatchee’s defense multiple times and ended the game with 49 points. Although the Panthers played well on offense with three players scoring in double digits, they struggled to shut Beo down.

After a previous loss to Gonzaga Prep in the second round of State last season, Wenatchee faced the team again on Dec. 6 for a rematch of their season-ending game. This time, the Panthers beat the Bulldogs 45-38.

“It was great to get our first win against a team that we had lost to in the State tournament last year. We need to keep improving on our defense and our offensive flow will come,” senior center Matt Murray said.

The Panthers had a hard time defensively during the first half, then struggled offensively for most of the game like there was a lid on the basket.

Entering the fourth quarter, Wenatchee was one point behind Gonzaga Prep. Then senior guard Christian Solovey hit back-to-back shots to put the Panthers ahead with two minutes remaining. This forced the Bulldogs to foul, stopping the clock, and sending Wenatchee players to the line, resulting in a Panther win. Almost every team member scored.