Panthers Advance to District Final with Win Over South Shelby

By Mark Requet
The Palmyra Panthers defeated the South Shelby Cardinals 55-38 on Thursday, February 26, 2026, in the Class 3, District 6 Tournament at Monroe City to advance to the championship game on Saturday.

Ryan McKinney scored the first points of the game for the Panthers to grab the early lead.

Cooper Seaton hit a basket for the Cardinals to tie the game early, followed by a basket from Peyson Larrick to give South Shelby a 4-2 lead.

After Palmyra tied the game, Colt Schmitz hit a three to give the Cardinals a 7-4 lead with 4:25 left in the first quarter. Larrick followed on the next trip with a basket to increase the lead to 9-4.

The Panthers offense finally started clicking and they scored the next seven points. Four points by Tate Hammond and a three by Pierce White gave Palmyra the 11-9 lead late in the first quarter.

Larrick hit a basket with 20 seconds remaining to tie the game at 11-11 after one quarter.

The Panthers opened the second quarter on a 13-0 run. Back-to-back baskets by
Hammond and White made it 15-11. A three by Bear Bock gave Palmyra a 20-11 lead.

Mason Smith capped the run with a three to make it 24-11.

It wasn’t until late in the second quarter the Cardinals closed the gap a little. Larrick made a basket and was fouled. He added the free throw to make it 27-16. Schmitz hit a three with 46 seconds left in the half and the Cardinals trailed 27-19 at halftime.
Larrick hit a shot less than a minute into the third quarter to pull South Shelby within 28-21.
White continued to guide the offense for the Panthers with two baskets in less than 30 seconds to give Palmyra a 32-21 lead.
Palmyra built the lead to 35-23, but a three by Schmitz cut it to 35-26 with 4:28 left in the third. After a Palmyra basket, Seaton hit a three to make it 37-29 with 3:19 left in the third quarter.
South Shelby trailed 41-31 after three quarters.
Waylen Owens and Larrick each scored baskets early in the fourth quarter to match Palmyra’s baskets and trailed 43-35 with 5:14 remaining.
The Panthers took control of the game in the fourth quarter. Ryan McKinney scored six points down the stretch as Palmyra outscored the Cardinals 10-3 the rest of the game to win 55-38.
White led the Panthers with 13 points, followed by Bock with 12 points, McKinney with 11 points, and Hammond with 10 points.
Larrick led the Cardinals with 13 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Schmitz with 11 points.
The Panthers improved to 20-5 overall