PITTSFIELD – After difficult losses on the court opening night in Farmington, the Pittsfield Panthers looked to bounce back at home with a doubleheader against Portsmouth Christian Academy.

The girls’ team is entering its third year since returning to varsity status and has slowly built upon that first season with a 4-14 record last season, doubling their win total from 2022-23. Head coach Logan LaRoche is hoping his team will make another jump and continue the upward trend.

On the other hand, the boys are coming off a tough season, finishing with a 2-16 record. According to coach Jay Darrah, the Division IV Panthers are focused on development and growth this year and will hopefully look better in February than in December.

Girls

With 37.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Panthers (0-2) had cut down PCA’s 11-point lead at the half to two. Coach LaRoche called a timeout and set up a play to tie the game and potentially win.

Unfortunately for Pittsfield, the Eagles’ defense was all over the court and they forced sophomore Ashley Clark to take a tough floater on the edge of the paint that hit the rim and did not fall.

“I felt pretty confident that if we could get a lean to the basket and we forced that defense to collapse, that we could walk away with a win because I trust Ashley’s outside shot that much,” said LaRoche. “So it’s what we were looking for. We didn’t get it, but I was super proud of the way that the girls fought back.”

The Panthers dug themselves in a hole early in the game that they fought back from but were unable to surmount. The Eagles’ full-court press limited the ability of guards Chelsea Chagnon and Addison Clark to go through their motions and move the ball effectively.

Pittsfield stayed in the game with tough rebounds and buckets by sophomore Alivia Lavigne (14 points) in the paint, but Ava Buchanan’s offensive output, scoring 11 points in the first half, kept the Eagles (1-0) ahead.

In the third quarter, PCA’s full-court press faded and they seemed to relax a bit too much defensively. Meanwhile, the Panthers erupted with ten unanswered points to cut the deficit to one.

“In the second half, my two guards, Addie and Chelsea, did a really, really good job of starting to compose themselves. They were starting to use their body to shield off,” LaRoche said. “I think the two of them really did a good job starting to value the ball. We were starting to make the most of our possessions. We were starting to get something out of our possessions. And I think it really started with those two.”

The second half remained a very close game with both teams playing physically in the paint and making shots. The difference in the game was not Pittsfield’s inability to tie the game, but rather the big lead they allowed the Eagles to build early according to LaRoche.

Portsmouth Christian walked away with a 41-36 victory.

“I feel confident with this group that I have, that they’re going to continue to see tremendous growth. I start two freshmen. One of my key rotation players is an eighth grader. We are going to get better over the course of the season,” he said.

Boys

The boys dug themselves a hole in the first quarter, going down by 11 points early. The offense for the Panthers’ scheme was completely centered around allowing senior Brayden Pelletier (eight points) and the Eagles (1-0) were able to force turnovers or tough shots that stunted their rhythm.

They did not improve much in the second quarter and allowed the Eagles to go into the locker room at half leading 47-16. For head coach Darrah, it was an example of the mismatches in athleticism and experience. According to Darrah, his team is still trying to find their balance and strengths offensively.

“They do a really good job of playing man-to-man defense, and they’re up in our face, and they make a lot of contact. They made it difficult for us. We had a hard time getting the ball to the wings, where we start a lot of our offensive sets,” he said.

The Panthers (0-2) started two freshmen, Mason Weldon and Gavin Martin, who were good with he ball in their hands but could not break into the paint and create good looks over bigger PCA players.

“We don’t have a good, right now, idea of when it’s okay to push the ball, when it’s the appropriate time to slow it down. The game hasn’t slowed down for them yet, they’re going 100 miles an hour,” said Darrah.

Pelletier would push the ball and find his teammates smothered by the Eagles’ defenders and would have to ISO to put up points or kick the ball out. The biggest issue is that PCA could focus on him and limit their ability to move the ball.

The big deficit made both teams rotate through their benches, and the Panthers ultimately fell, 71-23. The team has a lot of soul-searching to do and will have to find their identity throughout the season to improve their chances of winning and staying in games where they are outmatched physically in Darrah’s view.

“I think as a coaching staff, we’re going to do a better job of trying to recreate that contact. We’ll get the football pads out and we’ll be a little more physical with them and maybe get them to wi thstand that,” he said.

Alexander Ra pp can be reached at arapp@cmonito r.com