Fort Stockton opened district play at Greenwood on Jan. 14 and came up short in a 73-45 defeat to the Rangers.

The Panthers kept it competitive in the first half, trailing by 11 before Greenwood outscored Fort Stockton by 17 points in the second half.

Leading the team on both ends of the floor was senior guard Devon Rodriguez, who finished with a teamhigh 12 points and earned Pioneer Athlete of the Week.

“Rodriguez played a strong game defensively and displayed tremendous hustle,” assistant coach Hunter Grice Said.

Caleb Garcia played nearly the entire game and finished with eight points for the Panthers. Cruz Rojas and Zane Hodges netted five points apiece.

Mustangs rout Panthers

A 39-13 halftime deficit was insurmountable in the Panthers first home district contest of the season on Jan. 18 against Andrews.

The second half proved to be more competitive as the Mustangs outscored Fort Stockton 25-18 in route to a 64-31 victory.

The Panthers’ record is 5-17 overall and 0-2 in districts after Tuesday’s loss. Fort Stockton and Pecos are tied for fifth place in the District 2-4A standings after Tuesday’s games.

Andrews and Greenwood are 2-0 in district play while Seminole and Monahans are 1-1.