That transition took roughly a quarter for the Panthers after trailing 17-13 through one period, Panama outscored Chautauqua Lake 20-4 in the second and never looked back to earn a 63-47 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 win.

“We started a little bit slow,” Panama head coach Ed Nelson said. “That was a lot of fun. We showed flashes of being really good tonight and we showed flashes. We got a lot of work to do, so the same boat a lot of teams are in.”

While Panama looked for its offensive rhythm, Chautauqua Lake could not miss in the first frame. The Eagles hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter with Nick Jacobson hitting three of them to gain a 17-13 lead.

“Last year we had a problem with going down 12-15 points in the first quarter,” Chautauqua Lake head coach Devin Pope said. “That just happened Friday. We were down 17-4, so our goal tonight was to come out and set the tone. Come out and try to be as physical as we can and take it to them. We did that, we just couldn’t hang on to that rhythm and momentum.”

Panama’s Bryce Hinsdale attempts to steal the ball from Chautauqua Lake’s Nick Jacobson. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

Chautauqua Lake put the pressure on Panama early, but after that first quarter the shots that were falling weren’t falling and the Panthers started building momentum.

“We missed a lot of open shots, which proved costly,” Pope said, “but I thought they played so hard.”

Chautauqua Lake hit only one more 3-pointer when Jacobson collected his fourth, but then proceeded to finish 6 for 30 from beyond the arc.

As Chautauqua Lake started to cool down, reigning CCAA Division 2 co-Player of the Year Carter Brink began to heat up. The Panama senior scored 9 of his 26 points in the second quarter and went on to finish with six assists and three rebounds.

“We knew Chautauqua Lake was going to be a solid opponent,” Nelson stated. “… There’s nothing like coaching an 18-year-old young man. There’s a big difference from when these guys were in eighth grade playing varsity basketball compared to now. Carter is a young man, he’s able to dribble penetrate, he’s able to shoot a mid-range shot, shoot the perimeter shot, and does a little bit in all phases of the game.”

While Brink led the way for Panama, eight of the 10 players on the roster put points on the board and everyone did their share of smothering defensive work. After Brink, Bryce Hinsdale scored 10 points, collected three steals and delivered a block; Tate Catanese added eight blocks; Alex Barmore collected seven boards and had three blocks; and Jordan Mescall had four assists.

“One of the things we got this year that we haven’t had very much is a lot of depth on the bench,” Nelson added. “We’ve got some guys sitting there that can come off the bench and we play a little more aggressive defense.”

With the long-range shots not falling, the Eagles relied on points attacking the basket which proved difficult against an athletic Panama roster. However, Brendan Klossner welcomed the challenge, scoring a team-high 17 points for the Eagles and Nate Henry attacked the rim to finish with 11 points.

“Typically that is the case,” Pope said about the 3 opening the scoring down low. “They’re just so athletic one through five that even if we’re continuing to kick or drive and kick they’re able to close that because they’re so athletic. Against a team like this, any basket you’re going to get is going to be tough.”

Klossner also had eight rebounds, Jacobson added seven boards and six assists to his 12 points and Carson Fairbank made two steals.

After starting the year with tough matchups against Falconer and Panama, Chautauqua Lake (0-2, 0-1) will seek its first win on Thursday when it travels to Maple Grove.

“This year we set out to challenge ourselves early,” Pope stated. “The better teams you play early, the better you’re going to play later in the year. You’re going to be more used to the pressure that they give, the experience they have. … They (Panama) start five seniors who have won a sectional championship two years ago, lost to a good Randolph team last year and bring everyone back. That’s why you schedule games like this, especially in league. We want to get our feet wet.”

Panama (1-0, 1-0) plays its first home game on Thursday when it entertains Brocton.

PANAMA (63)

Barmore 2 0 5, Hinsdale 4 0 10, Mescall 1 0 2, Eggleston 1 0 3, Graves 0 0 0, Horton 3 0 6, Brink 12 0 26, Spiesman 3 1 7, Catanese 2 0 4, Burkholder 0 0 0. Totals 28 1 63.

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE (47)

Hewes 0 0 0, Jacobson 4 0 12, Henry 4 3 11, Fairbank 1 0 3, Rivera 0 0 0, JAbuhmedian 0 0 0, YAbuhmedian 2 0 4, Klossner 6 4 17.

3-point goals–Barmore, Hinsdale 2, Eggleston, Brink 2, Jacobson 4, Fairbank, Klossner.

Panama 13 20 19 11 — 63

Chautauqua Lake 17 4 13 13 — 47