After finishing last year’s season at 17-3, the Panthers Varsity Boys’ basketball team aimed to carry their success into the 2024-2025 season.
They started strong at 4-1 but then hit a slump, going 4-10 the rest of the way to finish a disappointing 8-11. The team actually had to forfeit their final two games as a penalty for exceeding the allowed number of games it could play over winter break, which left their final record at 8-13. While the second half of the season saw the Panthers struggle at times, their final record doesn’t reflect how they played overall. Only 2 of their 11 losses were by double digits, and they have a young roster with only three seniors.
Another factor that may have affected the team was a mid-season coaching change that saw the JV Head Coach the past two years – and PB player – Brandon Miles take over as varsity head coach. Changes during the season can sometimes be a little hectic but the Panthers continued to push through and play every game hard.
Through all the adversity there have been many exciting moments for the Panthers. Both games against Blake were back-and-forth battles with many highlights. Paint Branch lost 81-76 at Blake, and dropped an overtime thriller 77-71 at home. Individual highlights included senior Isaiah Lee eclipsing 1000 career points, and senior Ryan Teintcheu’s buzzer-beating putback against the Kennedy Cavaliers.
After receiving a first-round bye for the playoffs last season, the Panthers and their senior captains Lee and Teintcheu will look to pull off some upsets in order to make noise in the postseason. “As a team we need to become more mentally tough and take care of our bodies by making sure we stretch, hydrate, and eat healthy,” said junior Kahlil Fountain.
In the first round of the playoffs on Friday, February 28, the Panthers will play the Wheaton Knights and then the Springbrook Blue Devils if they advance. Captain Isaiah Lee thinks a run is possible. “To win states the team must stay true to ourselves, focus strictly on basketball and remove all other distractions during practice and for these next five games.”
If the Panthers were to go on a run, they would be able to hang up a third state championship banner, which would actually be a second one for Coach Miles, who was a player on the 2000 team that won the title.