5 Biggest Takeaways from Panther Creek vs. Hillside (2/4)

<p>The Panther Creek Catamounts visited the Hillside Hornets in a pivotal Triangle 8 Conference matchup. Here's a look at the five biggest takeaways from the game.</p> <h5>Panther Creek's streak continues</h5> <p>The Catamounts entered Tuesday night's game with six straight wins under their belt, their last loss coming to Hillside back on Jan. 10 to the tune of 62-60. Things went a lot differently this time around as Panther Creek led 33-27 at halftime and created their biggest lead of 15 points with 1:37 left in the third quarter. The Hornets fought back in the fourth quarter but, the Catamounts hung on for a 67-58 victory when it was all said and done to boost their record to 8-3 in Triangle 8 play.</p> <h5>Hillside's streak loses their first conference game</h5> <p>Around this time last season, the Hillside Hornets were undefeated. In 2018-19, they went 28-2, losing just two games all season long but this season, they've had some adjustments to make earlier in the schedule. They lost their first game in a new conference on Tuesday night and it was the first time they looked out of sorts. Still, they boast a record of 16-3 and 8-1 in conference action, so all isn't lost for them. They'll just need to find a way to play better together. After <strong>Dr'ake Thompson</strong> opened the first quarter with 11 points, he didn't score again after that. 2021 wing <strong>Elijah Thomas </strong>finished with 15 points (8 in the 4th quarter) and <strong>Trey Crews</strong> finished with 14 points. They left a lot of empty possessions on the floor and Panther Creek took advantage.</p> <h5><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/daylen-berry/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/daylen-berry/">Daylen Berry</a></a> shows his stuff once again</h5> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/daylen-berry/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/daylen-berry/">Daylen Berry</a></a></strong> is a junior guard prospect that continues to show his growth as more than just a sharpshooter. When he wasn't looking to score on offense, he was flying to the basketball on defense and had a number of big blocks as well. He finished with 20 points along with three made 3-pointers on the night for the Catamounts in a big team win. He wasn't the only one showing out, either.</p> <h5>Dylan Drinkwater is an underrated combo guard</h5> <p>2021 guard <strong>Dylan Drinkwater </strong>was another guard in Panther Creek's backcourt that had a solid game. He put up just six points but he had a number of assists to Berry and unsigned seniors <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/armon-muldrew/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/armon-muldrew/">Armon Muldrew</a></a></strong> and <strong>David Butners</strong> that allowed Panther Creek to keep their distance and secure the victory. He's a prospect that does well to control the pace on offense and wreaks havoc just as well on the defensive end. Butners finished with nine points and a made 3-pointer as the team's other distributor.  Drinkwater is one to keep an eye on at Panther Creek.</p> <h5><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/armon-muldrew/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/armon-muldrew/">Armon Muldrew</a></a> closes well for Panther Creek</h5> <p>The third player in Panther Creek's backcourt that made their impact was unsigned senior <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/armon-muldrew/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/armon-muldrew/">Armon Muldrew</a></a></strong>. Muldrew finished with 10 points, with six of them coming in the fourth quarter as he led his team to a few closeout baskets down the stretch. He's one that doesn't force things on the offensive end and waited his turn to turn things on when he did in the fourth. He's a prospect that holds offers from UC-Riverside and Lenior-Rhyne. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>