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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor 

PELHAM – After missing time during the middle of the season, Pelham sophomore guard Laci Gogan has turned up her play in recent weeks to take over games, and that continued in the first round of the area tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Taking on county foe Calera with the season on the line, Gogan stepped up to post 28 points, scoring at least five in every quarter of the game, to help lead the Panthers to a dominant 71-45 win and the sub-regional round of the postseason.

Gogan wasn’t alone in double figures, however, as Myriah Tate and Victoria West also continue to play well. Tate’s 16 points and West’s 12 points were key due to Pelham playing without one of their leading scorers and rebounders in Emma McKenney.

But with the way the offense was rolling from the start, Pelham ended up being fine.

The Panthers got 11 from Gogan in the opening quarter to kick start an impressive night and help her team post 20 points in the first quarter of the game.

Combined with an impressive start defensively, the Panthers were able to double up the Eagles for a 20-10 lead at the end of one.

From there, they just got more dangerous.

In the second quarter, Pelham got at least four points from four different players to post 23 as a team.

Tate scored seven of her 16 in the quarter, while Gogan added five. In addition to those two, West and Niles Daniel each added four.

Holding Calera to 10 points for the second quarter in a row, Pelham took a commanding 43-20 lead into the halftime break.

With their season on the line, Calera came out in the second half with a spirited effort looking to pull off a miraculous comeback.

The Eagles got 10 points from Kaylen Moultrie in the quarter, including two 3-pointers, while they hit a total of four threes as a team to help post 20 points.

The defense also stepped up to play its best quarter of the game by holding the Panthers to 12 points, which allowed Calera to pull within 15 points going to the final quarter.

But trailing 55-40, the uphill battle became too much.

Pelham clamped down defensively again in the fourth quarter, giving up just five points, while the offense closed an impressive night with 16 more points to complete the 26-point win.

The Panthers had seven score in the win, which helped keep the Panthers’ season alive. They’ll now battle Helena in the area tournament championship before heading to sub-regionals next week.

Calera was led by 14 points from Moultrie.