Fort Stockton’s playoff hopes hinged on the outcome of Friday’s matchup on the road against Monahans and much like their first meeting, the contest was tightly contested throughout.

The Panthers trailed by seven points going into the final period before tying the game at 49-49 midway through the fourth quarter.

Monahans was able to separate in the final minutes, securing a 57-52 victory over Fort Stockton.

Dominic Aguilar led the team in scoring, finishing with 12 points.

Devon Rodriguez also finished in double digits with 10 points, including three 3-pointers.

Other scorers for the Panthers included Caleb Garcia with nine and Aryan Hernandez with seven.

Panthers JV falls to Loboes

The Fort Stockton junior varsity squad struggled out of the gates on Friday against Monahans and were unable to recover in a 52-39 loss.

In the third quarter, the Panthers fought their way back to a four-point game at one point, but never managed to get any closer.

Andrew Washington, Kye Norman, and AJ Granado tied for a team-high with eight points apiece.

Seminole squeaks by Fort Stockton freshman

A promising Panthers freshman team concluded the season Feb. 15 at home in a thriller against Seminole.

With three seconds left to play and trailing by two points, Fort Stockton coach Richard Rojas called a time out to set up a play for a game-winning shot.

Alex Officer inbounded a clean pass to Evan Cordero before attempting a shot that nearly went down but rimmed out.

“We battled the Indians all night, back and forth,” Rojas said. “I am proud of all the boys, they were a pleasure to coach. They came to work every day early in the morning. We talk about setting a standard and not settling for anything less. These boys will continue to work hard and make Fort Stockton proud.”

Kael Rojero led the Panthers with 10 points and Christian Soto scored seven. Adric Gallegos finished with six.

The Fort Stockton freshman finished the season with a 12-6 record.