INJURIES, ILLNESSES CONTRIBUTE TO SLOW START FOR MEADOW HEIGHTS' PANTHERS

With a basketball program that has struggled as much Meadow Heights has, the last thing the Panthers needed was a barrage of bad luck.

But Meadow Heights coach Jeff Gravon and his team have been living by Murphy's Law to this point of the season.

The Panthers are the U-High Tournament's No. 15 seed and will play second-seeded Scott City at 10:30 a.m. Monday in the opening round.

Meadow Heights brings a 1-6 record into the tournament, but Gravon believes his team would be in much better shape had his whole squad been together at the beginning of the season.

"We'd be around .500 with all our players," said Gravon. "That would've helped with our seed."

Meadow Heights has been playing without its starting point guard, Josh Mayfield, who is rejoining the team after breaking his finger.

"It's been crazy," Gravon said. "We've had some injuries, we've had some kids sick and we've had some academic problems. The flu has really hit us hard too."

But now, Meadow Heights is at full strength and, as a result, the team will have three different starters for the tournament.

Gravon, which had been starting Troy Hays, Derek Collier, John Smith, Joe Jones and Cody Thompson, will instead start Cody Thompson, Chris Burr, Mayfield, Tyler Thompson and Smith.

"They can provide us some more quickness and athletic ability," said Gravon.

The injury-depleted Panthers have been led by sophomore Cody Thompson's 12 points per game, followed by Jones, who averages 10 per game.

"The varsity hasn't played well or shot well and have turned the ball over way too much," said Gravon. "But we haven't had everybody. We're just trying to find our way."

The Panthers can't be looking forward to the first-round against Scott City.

Last year, as a No. 16 seed, the Panthers lost to the Rams 118-22 in the first round.

"We're pretty used to being near the bottom," Gravon said. "They know the task at hand is large. I just told them to try to learn to play together and to not be intimidated."

In the last three years, Meadow Heights has been outscored 301-68 in the first round.