For the first five minutes of Monday’s rescheduled district bout against Seminole, Fort Stockton was playing their best ball of the season.

Then the Indians showed why they’re currently atop the district standings.

The Panthers darted out to a 9-5 lead in the first quarter of the contest before being outscored 20-6 the remaining 11 minutes of the first half.

Seminole closed the game by attacking the paint and taking advantage of their opportunities at the free throw line, going 13-of-15 at the charity stripe in the second half en route to 58-40 victory.

“We came out hot in the first quarter and then we got a little stagnant. We tried to creep back into it and weren’t able to get back into reach where we could try and take the lead,” Fort Stockton head coach Zack Roberson said.

The Panthers’ hot start was propelled by a full-court press defense that caused a bevy of turnovers and translated to a pair of trips to the free throw line, two buckets in the paint, and a 3-pointer by Ethan Acosta, who finished the game with a team-high 11 points.

The latter finished the first quarter with a team-best five points, Cruz Rojas went 2-of-2 at the charity stripe and Luis Medina converted a two-point basket in the first eight minutes of play.

“I would say that is the best start to a game this season. I think Luis took three or four charges and we were able to get some rebounds and easy layups,” Roberson noted. “Defensively, it starts there.”

Fort Stockton trailed 14-10 after the first quarter and ensued with one of their worst offensive quarters in district play.

Returning all-district second team selection, Blake Flowers, scored six points in the second quarter for Seminole – one point more than the entire Fort Stockton team – as a part of his 18-point outing.

The Panthers played their most competitive quarter in terms of point margin in the third. Fort Stockton was narrowly outscored (14-13) in the frame.

Senior Isaiah Garcia led Fort Stockton with five points in the third quarter, followed Bryan Encinas (three), Median (two), Acosta (two).

The Indians concluded the game with a 10-of-12 performance at the free throw line in the fourth quarter while Fort Stockton went 3-of-6 at the charity stripe in the final eight minutes.

Roberson said that he believes his team is still in the playoff race if they can put complete games together and play like they did in the first five minutes of Monday’s contest.

“I think we’re in the fight, it’s not over. We got to continue playing and practicing the best way we can,” he said. “. I think the way we played tonight, how we started and finished, gives us something we can be proud of.”

Panthers pounce on Pecos

If Fort Stockton wanted to keep their playoff hopes alive, they needed to secure a win at Pecos on Jan. 27.

The Panthers were able to accomplish that in enemy territory behind one of their most well-rounded offensive performances of the season.

Fort Stockton had four players score nine points or more, led by Aryan Hernandez’s 12 points in their 50-41 win.

Fort Stockton’s 28-18 lead dissolved by the early stages of the fourth quarter as Pecos took the lead with more than five minutes to play in the final frame.

Marco Garcia converted a timely 3-pointer to ignite the Panthers offense in the fourth quarter following a dismal third frame, which saw the Eagles outscore Fort Stockton 11-4.

“Marco Garcia drilled a three and that sparked us,” Roberson said. “My pregame speech was, I don’t care what happens in this game, good or bad, just find a way to win. We did, the resilience is what I was super proud of.”

Marco Garcia netted five of his 11 points in the fourth quarter and Medina added seven of his nine points in the final frame.

Acosta scored all nine of his points in the first half to lead the Panthers in the first 16 minutes of play.

4A District 3 Standings

*Greenwood and Andrews rescheduled their contest from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 due to weather conditions. Pecos and Monahans' game scheduled on Jan. 31 was also postponed and will be played at a later date.

Seminole 6-0

Greenwood 4-1

Monahans 3-2

Andrews 2-3

Fort Stockton 1-5

Pecos 0-5