Capers fall to Panthers in weekend opener

By Thomas Becker

Despite missing the country's leading scorer due to illness, a deep Panthers squad came through with a 90-75 win over the Cape Breton University Capers Friday night.

Panthers forward Brad States and guard Lorenzo Parker stepped up in Tyler Scott's absence, scoring 28 and 17 respectively.

"We knew someone had to step up," said Parker, who led a bench that outscored the Capers' reserves 33-8.

Without Scott in the lineup, the Panthers struggled early in the game to find their offensive rhythm.

"We came out a little panicky in the first quarter and everyone was trying to do too much. Once we let the game come to each other, it just kind of happened and we pulled out the W."

The Capers, however, got off to a quick 11-2 start. Following a Panthers timeout, a rejuvenated defence helped cut the deficit to two.

Cape Breton, behind another strong run, extended their lead 21-11 to end the opening quarter.

With the deficit looming, the Panthers went on a tear in the second quarter, outscoring Cape Breton 15-2, to take their first lead of the game 26-23.

The Panthers extended their lead 42-32 at the half, outscoring their opponent 31-11 in the quarter. States took on the scoring role, with 21 first half points on 8-of-15 shooting.

Head coach Tim Kendrick spoke highly of his athletic forward, who's transitioned himself into an all-around player.

"He's really worked on his skills hard over the summer and you're seeing a piece of that now."

Both teams traded baskets for most of the third quarter, until Amin Suleman launched a three at the buzzer, extending the Panthers' lead 72-57.

Early in the fourth, the Capers cut the deficit to 11, but the home team took over with a 9-0 run, extending their lead 83-63, all but sealing the 90-75 win.

Seth Amoah was the Capers' high-point man with 19, while fellow starters Kenny Jean-Louis (16), Tevin Bartley (12) and Kelson Deveraux (11) each scored in double figures.

The Panthers (4-0) look to make it a weekend sweep when they take on the Capers (2-3) on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.