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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Andy Olds had the best game of his young Pelham career on Friday, Jan. 17, as the Panthers defeated the visiting Chelsea Hornets 54-45.

Olds finished the game with 15 points and was the only Panther to score in double figures. However, Pelham used an impressive team effort and lockdown defense to beat the Hornets.

Jordan Garcia played well for Chelsea, finishing with 15 points, and Aiden Owens joined him in double figures with 14 points. Outside of the Hornets’ dynamic duo, offense was hard to come by for the Hornets all game.

Chelsea began the game on a 4-0 run behind two straight possessions with layups. Egypt Daniel then scored a long 3-pointer to make the score 4-3 Chelsea with 5:37 left in the first.

These were Daniel’s only points of the game, but Jayden Robinson stepped up and played spectacular defense and made timely offensive plays as Daniel struggled from the floor.

The Panther defense got out to a fast start and never looked back. Pelham was face-guarding Chelsea ball-handlers every possession, making life miserable for the visitors.

Chelsea committed turnovers early and often, and on the other side of the ball it committed several fouls early, putting the Panthers in the bonus in the first quarter.

Pelham made 10 free throws in the first quarter, and finished the period up 13-10.

The second quarter was back and forth with the Panthers jumping out to a 23-18 lead with 1:44 left in the period behind timely offense and great defense.

The Hornets, though, had an impressive counterpunch, finishing the last 1:44 on a 9-0 run. Brandon Griffith hit two 3-pointers on two straight possessions, bringing the score to 24-23. Jordan Garcia hit a free throw after being fouled the next possession, and Jack Flowers hit a layup off of Garcia’s miss to bring the score to 27-23 at half.

This run could have been a backbreaker for Pelham, as Chelsea seemingly stole all of the Panthers’ mojo. However, the third quarter saw the arrival of Olds.

After an impressive scoring run from Owens in the period, Chelsea was up 37-30 with 2:32 left in the quarter. After Jacob Gibbs made two free throws to cut the lead to five, Olds stole the following inbounds play and nailed a contested corner 3-pointer to cut it to two.

The next play, Olds nabbed another steal and converted an and-1 bucket to give Pelham a 38-37 lead in the blink of an eye.

AJ Malone hit an and-1 of his own for Chelsea on the other end, but missed a free throw, giving Pelham the ball. With under 30 seconds left in the quarter, Olds hit another corner 3 from the right wing, sending the Panther faithful into a frenzy. Chelsea could not get a shot off the next possession, and the quarter ended with Pelham up 41-39.

In the fourth, Olds’ magical night continued. He set up Eli Lewis with an easy layup after a great no-look pass, and then nabbed a bucket of his own after forcing another turnover. This caused the Hornets to call a timeout down 45-39 with 7:14 left.

Olds was incredible all night, making timely play after timely play. However, Robinson’s performance was not to be outdone.

In Pelham’s previous matchup against Chelsea, Aiden Owens got to the rim with ease for the Hornets. On Friday night, Robinson kept Owens out of the paint, using his dominant size and strength to stymie the Hornets star.

Robinson fouled out in the fourth quarter, but his performance was met with raucous applause from the Panther faithful. He finished with four points, but his impact went beyond the stat sheet.

Chelsea was never able to get the game close in the fourth, as the Panthers kept their visitors at arms length.

Pelham’s spectacular defense, along with Olds’ incredible night, gave the Panthers a critical home victory over the Hornets.

Head coach Greg Dickinson and his squad get a week-long break, as their next matchup will be at home against the visiting Helena Huskies on Friday, Jan. 24. Chelsea will look to rebound on Monday, Jan. 20 at Brookwood High School, where the Hornets will play Scottsboro at 2:30 p.m.