On Monday, March 14, the boys’ varsity basketball team competed in the Class A regional semi-finals against Birmingham Groves at Chippewa Valley High School for a chance to advance to the regional finals. The Panthers came into the game with a high confidence level and were ready for a tough battle against a determined Groves team. The team knew they had to start strong, and play good and clean offensively and defensively throughout the whole game in order to defeat the high powered offense in the Falcons. The Panthers were up for the challenge, and were ready to prove they deserved to be where they are.

From tip-off to the final whistle, it was a neck and neck battle. The Panthers had to overcome the Falcons-high powered shooters in the first half. The Falcons shot seven three pointers in the first half alone; however, the Panthers responded with many three point shots of their own, and ultimately the Panthers took a 31-28 lead into halftime. The second half started with a bang for Roseville, making big play after big play. The Panthers were looking good until the Falcons called a late timeout in the third that sparked the Falcons offense, which went on a 9-2 run to make it 50-46 mid way through the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, with help from seniors Dezmon Wright, Abdono Abney-Berry, and T.J. Anderson, all scoring 12 points each, they stopped the Falcons late rally and won the game, 61-56.

The Panthers (18-5) advance to the Class A regional finals and will take on MAC White rival Stevenson (19-3) at 7 p.m. at Chippewa Valley on Wednesday, March 16.

“I was relieved after we won. When you play this deep into March, work hard at practice to prepare, and then you meet your expectation and win, I feel relief and happiness” coach Sean Hansen said after his team’s victory on Monday.

“The dub was a result of perseverance and heart. We also could not have won without the amazing support from our crowd. As of today’s game, we need to repeat our performance but this time with more execution, team chemistry, and efficiency” junior Rickey Shackelford said.