OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Panama celebrates winning the Section VI Class D championship on Friday.

JAMESTOWN — If there is one thing the Panama Panthers boys basketball team knows, it’s how to deal with adversity.

With little over a month left in the season, Panama’s top-scorer Carter Brink broke his collarbone, but that didn’t stop the Panthers from finding themselves at Jamestown Community College’s Physical Education Complex on Friday in the Section VI Class D final against No. 2 Clymer.

Once again, Panama found itself facing some adversity with Clymer dominating the first half and taking a 24-15 lead. Despite things not going their way, the Panthers fought back in the third quarter and a Gabe Roth buzzer-beating trey tied the score at 32 with a quarter to play.

Panama took that momentum from the Roth shot and ran with it in the fourth quarter on the way to a 41-37 final for its first sectional title since the 2018-19 season.

“In the semifinal, Gabe made some huge plays in the fourth quarter to give us momentum,” Panama head coach Ed Nelson stated. “It was the same thing tonight. He’s our only senior and that kid battles. We’ve been on some teams that weren’t so successful, and Gabe and I had a talk three years ago that if we ride that out we’ll go out on top.”

Having just lost just three games all season, the Pirates were really looking like the team to beat in Class D. It appeared that way in the first half.

The Pirates’ balanced attack was on full display. Blake Kopta stepped up for 18 points in a semifinal win over North Collins, but on Friday it was Kaden Beckerink’s night with the hot hand.

“We knew the shooting prowess of Austin (White) and (Blake) Kopta,” Nelson said about Clymer. “Austin has been like a machine this year where anything he puts up is going in the bucket. Kaden Beckerink stepped up and made huge shots.”

Beckerink posted a double-double with a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 10 points in the opening quarter alone and it looked like he wouldn’t slow down.

But Clymer was equally as good on the defensive end of the floor, limiting Panama to single-digit scoring in the first two quarters. What kept Panama in the game during the first half was the play of Alex Barmore. The sophomore scored every Panthers point in the opening quarter before his teammates joined in on the action.

With Clymer leading 24-15 at the half, adjustments were needed by Panama, so the Panthers stole a page out of the Pirates’ book.

Panama’s adjustments flipped the scoring as it rallied back into the game with a 17-8 frame. What kept Clymer in single digits was its shooting going ice cold. Once the momentum was in Panama’s hands, it never left.

“I really felt the last three minutes of the third quarter that grasped the momentum,” Clymer head coach Irv King said about Panama. “We were just never able to shut that down. We got a few buckets after that, but we never put anything together.”

Two of Panama’s sophomores finished with double-digit scoring as Barmore capped off his double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Bryce Hinsdale finished his night with 11 points and seven assists.

Clymer ends the season 19-4, but received strong finishes from Jonathan Massing with 15 rebounds and two blocked shots, and Austin White with 8 points and four assists.

“It’s a close group,” King said about his team. “I had great senior leaders and we had a great season. We’ve battled hard all year, it’s kind of the first time that one of those tight ones slipped away from us. Panama made a lot of big shots, it just felt like we didn’t get any bounces in that second half.”

Panama (16-6) will now play the Section V champion in the Far West Regional.

PANAMA (41)

Roth 3 0 7, Hinsdale 4 1 11, Keefe 2 0 5, Catanese 2 0 4, Mescall 0 0 0, Barmore 6 2 14. Totals 17 3 41.

CLYMER (37)

Michael 1 0 2, White 3 0 8, BKopta 1 0 2, Beckerink 7 2 18, Massing 3 1 7, Buerk 0 0 0. Totals 15 3 37.

3-point goals–Roth, Hinsdale 2, Keefe, White 2, Beckerink 2.

Panama 6 9 17 9 — 41

Clymer 16 8 8 5 — 37