SHELBY – Ethan O’Neil’s name was called more than any other Hesperia athlete on Monday, Feb. 24, as the Panthers fell to Manistee 50-37 in the district quarterfinals.
O’Neil – a senior for the Panthers – was as consistent as could be all night against the Mariners. Scoring 10 points in the opening quarter, O’Neil was the only Hesperia athlete to find the bottom of the net, keeping his team in the game single-handedly.
Still, Manistee owned a 13-10 lead after the first eight minutes of play. A buzzer beater from beyond the arc proved to be the difference, putting the Mariners in front. That lead only increased as the night went on.
Pushing their lead out to nine in the second quarter, Manistee found lanes to the paint often. Hesperia struggled to find their offense in that second frame, leaning on O’Neil again. The Mariners seemingly found an answer after O’Neil’s dominating first quarter, holding him to just four points in the second.
Trailing 27-18 coming out of halftime, Hesperia closed in on Manistee in the third quarter. The Panthers traded shots with the Mariners, but went on a 7-0 run in the quarter’s final minutes, cutting the lead to just four points. Another buzzer beater from deep put Manistee back in front by seven with just one stanza remaining.
Hesperia’s offense completely stalled out in the final quarter. The Panthers scored just six points to close out the game, allowing Manistee to run away with a double-digit victory.
The Panthers were led by O’Neil with 21 points, while Andrew Sherburn collected seven of his own. Jayden Sibley added five points as well.
Hesperia finished the year at 6-17 overall and a 3-9 record in the WMC Rivers.
