The Jemison Panthers boys basketball team (6-4) lost its second straight game with a 67-54 defeat at home against Helena on Friday.

In both losses, slow starts came back to haunt Jemison. The Panthers were outscored 15-9 in the first quarter and trailed 31-21 at the halftime break.

The Panthers made a late-game surge with 33 second half points that included 21 in the fourth quarter.

However, the deficit had grown too large and could not be erased.

All of Jemison’s nine first quarter points came from beyond the arc. The Panthers finished with 11 three-pointers on the night and shot 44 percent from bonus land.

It was a balanced offensive attack with four players who finished in double-figures on the score sheet. Wes McGehee had a team-high 14 points, while Mason Jones and Tremont Bryant added 12 points apiece.

Ty Leachman made a difference with 10 points off the bench, as he averaged nearly one point per minute.

McGehee and Bryant combined to make seven treys in the game, and Ryan Thompson grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.