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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

PELHAM – The Pelham Panthers continued to roll after a win over Mountain Brook on Thursday, Dec. 12 by parlaying that success into their next game less than 24 hours later.

Pelham defeated the Clay-Chalkville Cougars 51-40 on Friday, Dec. 13 at Pelham High School for their second win in two days.

Tee King paced the Panthers early as she hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored seven points in the opening quarter.

That helped Pelham narrowly outscore Clay-Chalkville in the first quarter and take an 11-9 lead into the second.

Both teams relied heavily on the long ball in the second quarter as they traded blows ahead of the halftime break.

The Cougars hit a trio of 3-pointers in the second, which accounted for nine of their 10 points during that stretch. Pelham also got deep shots from Ally Barfield and Janiah Harris to fall as the hosts tried to keep pace.

The teams were tied at 19-19 going into the halftime break, leaving the momentum hanging in the balance as the third quarter began.

Taylor Hollingsworth helped the Panthers get going from the field with her first five points in the game while King knocked down another 3-pointer after not scoring in the entire second quarter. Barfield also had a crucial 4-for-4 stretch from the free throw line in the third.

Clay-Chalkville’s strong 3-point shooting continued though as the visitors hit four 3-pointers in the third, including three from Madisyn Hale. As a result, the Cougars took a 33-31 lead into the fourth quarter, putting pressure on Pelham to respond.

That’s when King took over, scoring two more 3-pointers and 11 points in all during the fourth quarter to lead the way for the offense. Barfield and Harris each chipped in shots from the field while the team as a whole went 7-for-8 at the free throw line.

In the end, those shots helped the Panthers pull away while outscoring Clay-Chalkville 20-7 in the fourth to secure the 11-point victory.

King led the way with 20 points, including her 11 in the fourth quarter. Barfield dropped 12 points, Harris and Hollingsworth each scored seven points and Hannah Bankston finished with four points in the win.