Fort Stockton put their three-game winning streak on the line on Friday in their district opener at Seminole.

Slow starts have been a key element in the Panthers early season losses and that proved to be the case once again against the Indians.

Seminole outscored Fort Stockton 17-8 in the first quarter – the biggest differential in any frame – and cruised to a 55-32 victory behind a trio of double-digit scorers.

Senior Hector Contreas tallied a game-high 17 points and junior Channing Carter added 14 for the Indians.

Pioneer Athlete of the Week Marco Garcia netted a team-best 11 points and his cousin, Isaiah Garcia, finished in double digits for the third time this season with 10 points.

A large part of Seminole’s success last Friday was getting to the free throw line on a frequent basis. The Indians finished the game with a 15-of-19 clip at the charity stripe compared to a 5-of-5 performance at the line by Fort Stockton.

Monahans defeats Fort Stockton in second district bout

The Panthers were dealt a difficult hand to start district play with matchups against two projected favorites in Monahans and Seminole.

Fort Stockton competed in their second district contest at Monahans on Jan. 17 and the result proved to be the same as the district opener.

The Loboes defeated Fort Stockton 59-43 to move their record to 2-0 in district play while the Panthers fell to 0-2.

The Loboes took a 34-20 lead going into halftime and were led by 6-foot-3 center Kyle Vanek, who scored a game-high 23 points. Returning all-district selection and star quarterback Cheno Navarrette tallied nine points and senior Robert Brooks finished with 10.

Fort the Panthers, Julian Leyva led the way with seven points while Kye Norman, Isaiah Garcia and Ethan Acosta tallied six apiece.

Neither team had a high rate of success from beyond the arch or at the charity stripe in the game. Monahans shot 45% at the free throw line (10-of-22) and made three triples. Fort Stockton converted two 3-pointers and shot it at a 60% clip at the charity stripe (6-of-10).

The 17-point margin was seven points less than Monahans 52-28 victory over Pecos on Jan. 14.

Fort Stockton sits in a tie for fifth place with Pecos in their district following Tuesday’s loss.

Monahans and Seminole are tied at 2-0 following the Indians 37-36 victory over Greenwood on Jan. 17.

Andrews and Greenwood have 1-1 marks and are tied for third heading into Friday’s bouts.

Fort Stockton will host Andrews on Friday, Jan. 20.