November 16, 2015 Carthage, Texas - In the first game of the newly renovated Arthur Johnson Gymnasium, the Panola College men’s basketball team defeated Creative Young Minds (CYM), 86-64. With the win, the Ponies improve their record to 5-2. “It was a really awesome experience for our team. The gym looks amazing and it was good to win the home opener.” Stated Head Coach Grant McMillan. “We did a good job in the second half holding our opponent to 27 total points and we found ways to share the ball on offense.” He added.
Panola jumped out to a 33-23 point lead with just under 7:00 minutes to play in the first half but CYM closed the gap to 41-37 heading into the locker room. CYM tied the ball game on two separate occasions to start the second half but could never take the lead. Panola gradually pulled away throughout the rest of the game.
The Ponies were led by Devyn Wilson (Brooklyn, New York) with 20 points. Other scorers in double-figures where Tope Arikawe (Nigeria) with 15, Chan Williams-Bey (Hartford, Connecticut) with 14, Terry Holt (Nashville, Tennessee) with 12 and Charles Tucker (Lansing, Michigan) with 11. Arikawe chased down 11 rebounds and Tucker dished out 10 assists to record double-doubles. As a team, Panola shot 52 percent from the field and passed out 27 assists.
Next in action, Panola travels to Levelland, Texas to take on nationally ranked South Plains College on Monday, November 16th. Tip-off is set for 6:30 PM on the Campus of South Plains College.
