The Knoxville Girls Basketball Squad played well enough to beat Newton…however the Panthers could not find a way to close out the game and the Cardinals took a 37-35 win over the Panthers. Knoxville had a 35/29 lead with around two minutes remaining in the game before Newton closed the game out on an eight-to-nothing run highlighted by Newton’s Kaylie Rhodes’s ten footer to put the Cardinals on top with ten seconds to go, a three at the buzzer by Knoxville’s Hanna Rosenkrantz missed giving Newton the win. Panthers Coach Jim Utiermarkt said he was feeling good in the later stages, but the offense bogged down. Rosenkranz would finish the game with 12 points to lead Knoxville and Meredith Cunningham had ten. Knoxville is now 3-15 on the season and 1-9 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. The Panthers will have little time to think about last night’s loss as they get to travel to Des Moines today to take on Albia in Wells Fargo Arena. You can hear the play-by-play on AM 1320 KNIA starting at 2:45.