The Knoxville Girls Basketball Squad got back to its winning ways in the South Central Conference with a 53-32 win over Albia, while the Panther boys suffered their first loss of the season 71-56 to the Blue Demons as heard live on 95.3 KNIA. The girls played excellent defense all night, limiting Albia to single digits in each quarter. While the offense struggled at times for the Panthers, Coach Jim Uitermarkt told KNIA/KRLS Sports their defense was solid all night and was happy to get the win.
Uitermarkt:
“Four single digit quarters and that’s about as good as you can get defensively. Thankfully our defense was there the whole game, offense hit and miss, but we’ll take a road win by 20 points anytime.”
The Knoxville Boys Basketball Squad is finally able to get back in the gym after being forced to shut down for several days due to COVID-19 concerns. One of the first things Coach Jeff Larson and the coaching staff will emphasize is defense. The Panthers play mostly man defense, but they have had success in zone defenses in shutting down teams from scoring. Coach Jeff Larson tells KNIA/KRLS Sports the guys are starting to understand the importance of playing good defense to give his team a chance to win.
Larson:
“We’d like to play man all the time because I think we have the athlete that can do that. They’re buying into situations and stuff like that. We’ve got some pretty good athletes, and we still have to preach to them that defense is important.”
The Knoxville Basketball Squads look to get their first South Central Conference wins on the road this season as the Panthers travel to Chariton. Both Knoxville Squads got wins to open the conference Tuesday at home against Clarke in very different ways. The boys, after a slow start, pulled away for a 20 point win. Tonight the Panthers take on a Chariton squad that is rebuilding after several years of success. The Chargers are 0-2 having lost in blowout fashion to Clarke and Albia. Coach Jeff Larson tells KRLS Sports he is not going to worry so much about tonight’s opponent, rather how his guys play and what they can do to win the game.