Boys Basketball: Geneva can’t hang with Pleasure Ridge (KY)

Updated: December 29, 2011 10:57PM

Despite one slight setback, Pleasure Ridge Park (Ky.) is feeling pretty good with its decision to play in the East Aurora Holiday Tournament after finding it over the internet.

A three-point loss in the Panthers’ opening game against an equally talented Peoria Central team is long forgotten after the two wins that followed, most recently a lopsided 76-50 win over Geneva Thursday afternoon.

The No. 6-ranked team in Kentucky will play in the 3 p.m. third place game on Friday, which was switched with the originally scheduled seventh-place game, which is now at 6 p.m.

“That will give us a chance to get home by 2 a.m. instead of much later,” 31-year coach Dale Mabrey said. “Our experience here so far has been nothing but a pleasure. We stayed the night in Chicago and then headed here for the tournament. Even though we lost the first game, it was against a very good team that we would split a bunch of games with 50/50.”

The Panthers (11-3, 2-1 in the tournament) led the entire way against the Vikings (7-6, 1-2 in the tournament) and kept building their lead. They led 20-13 after one, 37-24 at the half and pulled away in the fourth with a 10-0 run for a 66-42 lead.

Cortez Macklin led all scorers with 21 points, while Panthers teammate Antonio McDaniels added 18, including 11 in the first half. Ten different players scored for the Panthers, who emptied their bench midway through the fourth.

Brendan Leahy was the only player in double figures for the Vikings with 17 points.

“They were in a different gear than us and we knew that coming in,” Geneva coach Phil Ralston said. “Every spot on the floor they had us beat and all we could do is try to play well as a team.

“They are just on a different level than us.”

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