FAIRFIELD -- The 2022-23 Little Miami High School varsity boys basketball season came to a close late Saturday afternoon at Fairfield High School as head coach Brian Lawhon's Panthers fell 72-66 to Eastern Cincinnati Conference rival Kings. Saturday's OHSAA Sectional Round 1 matchup was the third meeting of the season for these Warren County rivals.

The Knights jumped out to a 19-12 first-quarter lead, but LMHS came storming back in the second by logging 18 to the Knights 13 and tightened the deficit to only a two-point advantage (32-30) at the half in favor of Kings. In the third, Little Miami exploded for 21 giving the Panthers a 51-47 advantage heading into the final stanza, but the lead wouldn't hold as the teams traded momentum in the fourth, and Kings held on four their third win over LMHS this season with the 72-66 win. Elisha Jones was the Panthers leading scorer on the day as he logged a team-high 20 points. Michael Mussari led Kings with a game-high 24.

"We left everything we had on the floor," said LMHS head coach Brian Lawhon. "We knew coming into this game that we wanted to face Kings again. They're an obvious rival that was the Saturday Night headliner for the first weekend of the Postseason Tournament. What's not to love about a matchup like that?" Lawhon continued. "I'm proud of this group. We've fought to climb from the depths of adversity and they continued to give us all they had until the end."

With the loss, Little Miami falls to 10-13 (6-10 ECC) on the season, while Kings climbs to 18-5 (13-3) and will face Western Hills in Round 2 of tournament action on Tuesday night at Fairfield.

The double-digit 10-win season for the Panthers was their largest win total since they went 10-14 in the SWOC during the 2018-19 campaign. Since then, the Panthers were 4-56 entering the 2022-23 season. The Panthers return to action when they host ECC rival Walnut Hills on Friday, December 1, 2023. A link to their 2023-24 schedule is available HERE!  Also, a link to photographer Alex Smith's gallery is available