Panthers again will crank up high-powered offensive attack

The running and shooting will continue, and Meadow Heights coach Tom Brown hopes winning will, too.

The Panthers had not had a winning season for 13 years prior to Brown's first year at the school three seasons ago.

Meadow Heights has yet to have a losing season under Brown, and all signs points to another winning campaign with the Panthers returning four starters from a team which went 16-11 last year.

The up-style tempo with full-court pressure defense from the beginning of the game until the end and the long-range shooting will be the signatures again.

"We averaged 78 points a game last year, and I think we are actually better than we were last year offensively," Brown said.

The Panthers will miss Brad Adams, who averaged 20 points per game last season, but they have plenty of offensive weapons returning. Senior Joel Hahs and juniors Terry Wagner, Anthony Bollinger and Heath Fulton all return to the starting lineup. Wagner, Bollinger and Fulton each averaged in double figures.

The Panthers tied the state record for 3-pointers in a game last year with 24 -- on 45 attempts -- against Zalma, but the mark may not last long.

"One of our goals this season is to break that record," Brown said. "I think it is going to happen."

Wagner is the most proficient of the team's many outside weapons. He hit 48 percent of his treys last season.

A team with that many weapons can be a dangerous one for any team to play. That was evident last year when Meadow Heights had a 45-44 halftime advantage against eventual Class 1 state champion Bell City. The Panthers also had a game last season in which they lost to Bloomfield 97-96 in regulation.

"And we missed 30 shots in the paint in that one," Brown said. "We are going to play the same kind of basketball this year and we have high expectations. We want to win 20 or more games and would love to bring home a district title although we play in one of the toughest Class 2 districts in the state."

Meadow Heights opens tonight at Leopold.