Winning the Paint, Losing the Arc: Storm Out-Rebound Panthers in Gritty Loss
Blue Collar Battle: Holm and Penigar Shine Inside Despite Portland’s Surge
PORTLAND, Ore. — Sometimes the math just doesn't work in your favor. On Wednesday night at Killingsworth Street, the Chemeketa Storm (7-20, 2-12) brought a blue-collar effort to the interior, out-rebounding the Portland Panthers 39-32. However, the Storm ran into a literal buzzsaw of perimeter shooting, falling 86-64 to a Panthers squad that seemingly couldn't miss from deep.
Portland's backcourt put on a shooting clinic, connecting on a blistering 59.3% of their three-point attempts, while Chemeketa struggled to find their rhythm from the outside.
The Perimeter Gap
The story of the game was written at the three-point line. While the Storm worked the ball inside to high-percentage areas, the Panthers simply traded twos for threes at an unsustainable rate.
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Portland Panthers: 16-of-27 (59.3%) from beyond the arc.
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Chemeketa Storm: 1-of-13 (7.7%) from beyond the arc.
Despite the discrepancy, Chemeketa kept it competitive through the first half, trailing 37-29. However, the Panthers' Jackson Leach (26 points, 10 assists) and Mekhi Muhammad (20 points, 5-for-5 from deep) orchestrated a second-half surge that put the game out of reach.
Storm Standouts: Dominating the Paint
If the game was played exclusively in the paint, the Storm might be telling a different story today. Chemeketa's bigs played with a level of physicality that kept the Panthers on their heels for long stretches.
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Kaden Holm: Was the focal point of the offense, finishing with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting and snatching 6 rebounds.
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Jackson Penigar: Continued his consistent play, providing 13 points and 5 boards while going 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
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Treyvan Wilkerson: Brought life off the bench with 11 points and tied for the team lead with 3 steals, showing high energy on both ends.
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The Rebounding Committee: Gavin Aguilar, Spencer Horne, and Jaylin Scott all grabbed 6 rebounds apiece, contributing to the Storm's +7 rebounding margin.
By the Numbers
| Statistic | Chemeketa Storm | Portland Panthers |
| Total Rebounds | 39 | 32 |
| Points in Paint | 44 | 28 |
| 3-Point FGs | 1 | 16 |
| Assists | 8 | 20 |
Looking Ahead
While the final score is a tough pill to swallow, the Storm proved they can control the glass and dominate the interior against top-tier competition. The focus moving forward will undoubtedly be on closing out the defensive rotations on the perimeter and finding that elusive shooting touch from the outside.
Photo Credit: The Athlete Studio Instagram: @TheAthlete_Studio