By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Panthers controlled every aspect of its their game Friday night against Conway but one, and one wasn’t enough for the Wampus Cats as Cabot cruised to a 52-37 victory and kept its record un-blemished after eight games.
Conway guard Quincy Maxfield was the only going for the Wampus Cats, while the Panthers controlled the tempo, the boards and most any other action in the game.
Cabot didn’t shoot from the outside very well, but didn’t have to with a dominant inside game and a tenacious defensive effort.
Cabot coach Jerry Bridges was very pleased his team.
“We played very good defensively,” Bridges said. “They really got after ’em and gave ’em very few open looks. No. 20 (Maxfield), you just have to take your hat off to him.
“We were in his face for most of those shots. He was just hitting ‘em anyway. Overall though I thought it was a really good effort. The kids played really hard.”
The first quarter was tightly contested, but guard Justin Haas hit a three pointer at the buzzer to end the first that gave the Panthers a 12-8 lead and momentum.
They carried that momentum throughout the game. Cabot extended its lead to 27-16 by halftime, and all but had the game wrapped up with a 41-21 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Cabot center Chad Glover led his team in scoring, despite spending much of the game on the bench in foul trouble.
Michael Lowry scored all six of his points in the third quarter to spark the run that gave the Panthers their 20-plus-point lead.
In the midst of Lowry’s scoring burst, Haas hit his second three and Glover added an and-one that effectively sealed the game, although the Panthers didn’t play like it in the fourth.
Cabot’s defense stayed intense throughout the fourth quarter, even when both teams went to the benches with about two minutes left in the game.
Maxfield was Conway’s only bright spot. The 5-foot-9 guard hit three of four three-point attempts, and was even more deadly with his mid-range jumpers. He finished with 20 points to lead all scorers.
Glover led the Panthers with 14 points. Point guard Matt Shinn added nine while Shawn Tramel came off the bench to score seven for the Panthers. Three players scored six for Cabot.
The Panthers also dominated the boards and were outstanding at the free-throw line.
Cabot grabbed 21 rebounds to Conway’s 14, with Lowry leading the way with seven.
The Panthers made 16 of 19 free throws, 84 percent.
The Panthers are off until Friday when they will host Lonoke in a quadruple header.
Junior Varsity boys and girls will precede varsity boys and girls for a full night of action at the Cabot gymnasium Friday night. Activities begin at 5 p.m.
