The following game recap is courtesy of Cheltenham High School student Lev Cuker:

On Senior Night in Wyncote, the Lady Panthers faced off against Springfield Township High School.

Cheltenham won the tip-off but missed a shot on their first possession. They got the ball back and started the night’s scoring with a fast break layup. Springfield struggled defensively out of the gates as Cheltenham jolted to a 11-4 lead to start the first quarter.

The Panthers showed their quickness as six of the first 11 points came off of fast break layups. The offensive fireworks would continue until the end of the first quarter as the Lady Panthers led 21-9 when the buzzer first quarter buzzer sounded.

The offensive clinic continued as the second quarter started with the Lady Panthers scoring their first points less than 15 seconds in. The scoreboard showed 31-12 with under four minutes in the half when Springfield went on an 15-0 run.

After a lovely halftime presentation where the 2000 State Championship team was honored, junior Maya Simmons scored her 1,000th point. The bench poured out onto the court to congratulate her, after which she hit another three-pointer to extend her team’s lead to nine.

Up 52-41, the Lady Panther offense dominated in the final quarter. With 33 seconds remaining and a 27-point lead, the starters were subbed out for Cheltenham. The JV players finished off a wire-to-wire victory as the Panthers won on their senior night by a final score of 76-53. 

History with Chuck: Lady Panthers’ 1,000 point club

According to local historian Chuck Langerman, Simmons’ 35 points on Tuesday made her the 18th girls’ basketball player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau.

Simmons is the first girls’ basketball player to score 1,000 points since Ashley Jones in 2015. The first Lady Panther to reach 1,000 points was Gina Miniscalco Karras in 1984 with 1,189 points. Cheltenham High’s all-time leading scorer, boys’ or girls’ is former University of Maryland great Laura Harper with 2,009 career points in 2004.

Sixteen of the eighteen 1,000-point scorers played under the leadership of former head coach Bob Schaefer.

The current Lady Panthers finished the regular season at (19-2), winning their first Suburban One championship since 2012.

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Photos: CSD