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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

MONTGOMERY – After securing the Juanita Boddie Bronze Bracket title in August, the Pelham Panthers got close to another one with a lengthy run at the Mayor’s Cup in Montgomery.

Pelham went 5-1 on Sept. 6 and 7, including wins over Alabama Christian, Saint James, Spanish Fort, LAMP, Pike Road and Prattville Christian, to reach the tournament finals against Montgomery Academy.

After beating Jasper and Northridge in a tri-match on Thursday, Sept. 5, the Panthers kicked off the tournament with a sweep of Alabama Christian Eagles on Friday evening.

Pelham started out the match on the right foot by taking the first set of the match, holding off Alabama Christian for a 25-19 victory.

That paved the way for an even bigger victory in the second set as the Panthers won 25-11 to take the 2-0 match victory.

Camryn McMinn finished the match with 11 kills, six digs, a solo block and an ace. Londyn Wynn earned eight kills, 13 digs and two total blocks. Setter Kylee Hester finished with 25 assists and three kills, and Kaliyah Arrington had four total blocks, including two solo blocks.

Pelham then took on the Saint James Trojans and took the fight to the Montgomery-based side.

Just like in the first match against Alabama Christian, the Panthers took the first set 25-19 to take early control of the match.

The Trojans made it a closer second set and threatened to tie up the match as the set neared the final points. However, Pelham closed out the set to win 25-22 and head into the second day of the tournament without dropping a set.

McMinn racked up 16 kills and six digs in the match. Kamryn Rouveyrol earned a team-high 13 digs, Hester secured 26 assists and Caroline Hamby had eight digs.

That took the Panthers into the second day of the tournament, which they started off against the Spanish Fort Toros.

Pelham continued its strong start to the Mayor’s Cup with a first-set victory over Spanish Fort, claiming a 25-20 win to go up in the match.

The second set was just about as close as the first one, and just like the first, the Panthers walked away with the win. This time, they took the set 25-19 to sweep the match and continue rolling.

Pelham continued its journey through the Mayor’s Cup against another team from Montgomery, the LAMP Golden Tigers.

The Panthers got out to a solid lead in the first set and continued to hold off the Golden Tigers from there. They went on to win the set by double digits with a score of 25-15.

From there, it was déjà vu in the second set as Pelham also won it by a score of 25-15 for its eighth-straight set win in Montgomery.

McMinn led the team in kills again with 14, Hester earned 18 assists, Addison Knight claimed three aces and Claire Robinson took three blocks, including a solo block.

The Panthers then took on the Pike Road Patriots in hopes of extending their stay in the state’s capital city.

Pelham kept its momentum going with a 25-16 win in the first set, going up 1-0 in the match and putting the pressure on Pike Road.

That led to a similarly dominant second set where the Panthers also won 25-16 to earn another sweep.

McMinn earned 13 kills and six digs, Hester had 20 assists and four digs, Wynn secured seven kills and Rouveyrol had a big service game with four aces.

Pelham went on to engage in a battle of the Panthers with Prattville Christian in the semifinals and continued its successful Saturday.

In the first set, Pelham got the upper hand and went on to win the set 25-19.

Prattville Christian tried to respond with a set win of its own, but Pelham held it off by a handful of points to earn the 25-22 victory and live to fight another match.

Both McMinn and Wynn got into double figures in the kill count with 14 for McMinn and 11 for Wynn. Hester earned 25 assists and nine digs and Juliana Bitas had seven digs and two aces.

The Panthers’ undefeated run of 12 straight set wins at the tournament ended at the hands of the Montgomery Academy Eagles in the finals.

Montgomery Academy won both sets by a score of 25-20 to sweep the match and end Pelham’s time at the Mayor’s Cup.

The Panthers now sit at 19-6 on the season heading into their first area match against the Chelsea Hornets on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. at Pelham High School.