Story by Wes Merriott

New Years’ Day may have come and gone, but the Lady Panthers saved some fireworks for a bustling home crowd Friday evening against district opponent C.E. Byrd.

Parkway Lady Panthers, returning Division I Non-Select State Champions, opened up a co-ed district doubleheader with a dominating performance on both sides of the ball. The Lady Panthers took a 40-0 lead before Byrd earned their first offensive points in the game with 2 minutes left in the half.

Dakota Howard was relentless in her defensive control over the Lady Yellow Jackets, repeatedly forcing turnovers and keeping the ball in the Lady Panthers’ side of the court. Chloe Larry, Zara Baker, and Khia Thomas delivered offensively, and overall in the first half there was no slowing down for the girls at Parkway.

Unfornately for “The City”, as C.E. Byrd calls themselves, the Panthers’ freight train didn’t stop in the second half, either. Natalia Brown and Chloe Larry led the defensive charge, punishing Byrd’s attempts to pass and move the ball with ease. The Lady Yellow Jackets were able to add only a single free throw to their offensive tally for the evening, and Parkway added another 20 points in the second half, finishing with a unbelievable 62-3 victory over C.E. Byrd.

Dakota Howard led the team in points, with 18 for her efforts. Chloe Larry scored 15, and Zara Baker earned 9 in the Friday’s victory. The Lady Panthers are now 15-6 and a perfect 4-0 in District 1-5A play.

Note: Parkway Lady Panthers will face Airline High School at home on Tuesday, Jan. 9. You can watch the action live on sobo.live, hosted by Shane Cheatham and Keith Sutton.