Weekly Announcements: February 2 – 6

The Heritage Panthers turned in a gritty, defensive-minded performance to knock off the top-seeded New Albany Eagles, 35–32, in overtime and advance to the Final Four of the tournament. Facing a 12–1 Eagles squad, the Panthers set the tone early with tough defense and confident play.
Heritage jumped out to a 12–9 lead after the first quarter and extended that advantage to 22–13 by halftime. New Albany battled back in the third quarter, trimming the Panthers’ lead to 24–21 as the game tightened up. Regulation ended deadlocked at 29–29, setting the stage for a dramatic overtime.
In the extra period, Caden Ludban ignited the Panthers with a huge three-pointer to open the scoring, while the Heritage defense clamped down and limited the Eagles’ opportunities. Clutch free throws from Luke Schimmoeller, Jake Maul, and Thomas Smith sealed the victory down the stretch.
Thomas Smith led the Panthers with 13 points, followed closely by Ethan Smith with 12, and Schimmoeller adding 6. Defensively, the Panthers were anchored by Ludban, who drew three charges, along with strong minutes from Jake Maul, Angelo Gum, and Dylan Vincent as Heritage frustrated the Eagles all night.
With the upset win, the Panthers advance to the Final Four and will return to action Thursday against Olentangy Shanahan. Go Panthers! 🐾

The Heritage 8th Grade Boys Basketball team returned to action Saturday afternoon at Weaver Middle School, opening postseason tournament play after more than a week off due to extreme winter weather. Despite the layoff, the fourth-seeded Panthers showed no signs of rust, rolling past 13-seed Jackson MS in convincing fashion.

The game began slowly for both teams as they worked to find a rhythm, but Heritage settled in as the first quarter progressed. The Panthers built a 12–4 lead after one quarter and continued to pull away in the second, outscoring Jackson 14–4 to take a 26–8 advantage into halftime. Maddox Hart led Heritage with 10 points, while Isaiah Jones added 8. Zavier Hunter, Amir Keita, and Myles Sankey also added 6 point efforts.

Heritage took full control in the second half, extending the lead with strong inside play from Christian Sherrill, who finished with 6 points. The Panthers also found success from beyond the arc, with Braxton Wingo, Jeremiah Lee, and Weston Janda all knocking down three-pointers. With nine different players scoring, Heritage showcased a true team effort on the way to a dominant 53–23 victory.

The Panthers now advance to face a tough UA Jones squad on Monday night. Although Heritage defeated UA Jones earlier in the season, the Panthers know it will take high energy and focus in this win-or-go-home matchup. Tip-off is set for 6:15 p.m. Monday at Weaver Middle School.

Please order your yearbook by following this LINK. Yearbooks will be distributed later in May! If you have any questions about the yearbook, please contact Mr. Billy Martin (billy_martin@hboe.org)