After last week’s season-ending 61-53 loss to Fayetteville Sanford, Panther Creek coach L.J. Hepp told his players it’s now time to be selfish.

“You’ve been unselfish for the last four months. Be selfish about your game, individual skills and get in the gym,” Hepp said. “That’s going to matter most — these kids’ commitment the next eight months. If they’re committed to developing, we’re going to have a chance to do some special things next year. There’s no doubt we won some games this year because of last offseason and last spring and fall by being in the gym as much as we could. I’m hoping we use that same drive to grow this offseason.”

If all goes according to plan, Panther Creek should be among the top teams in the state in 2008-09. As long as no one is injured, no one moves away and everyone is eligible, every member of this year’s team will return next year.

The Catamounts went 22-7 overall and finished second in the Tri-Eight.

They won the conference tournament and then blitzed Wilmington Laney in the first round of the NCHSAA 4-A tournament, 78-37. They are the only team to beat Middle Creek, which is three wins away from the state championship, this season. And Panther Creek did so twice.

And all that came on the heels of the team’s debut season last year, when it went 4-18.

“This was just the second year of a three-year process,” Hepp said. “To go ahead and win a conference tournament championship, be able to win 22 games, to compete with Middle Creek who’s clearly one of, maybe the best, teams in the state, twice. Those things I didn’t expect. I don’t think anyone did. We expected to compete better.”

One reason Panther Creek competed so well was because of 6-foot-4 guard Earnest Ross, who averaged 22.5 points per game this year. With an offensive repertoire that makes him dangerous anywhere on the offensive end of the floor, and his ability to take over a game and lift his teammates to another level, there’s no doubt he’s among the state’s best players already.

Perhaps the biggest reason Panther Creek enjoyed such a standout year was how much everyone else around Ross improved from year one to year two.

Forwards Aaron Toney (7.7 points per game) and Marques Oliver (9.9 points per game) turned into serious threats in the low post, opening up the perimeter for Ross and guard Mike Hood (7.7 points per game).

Against Laney last week, Toney scored 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting.

Oliver and Hood scored 11 and 10 points apiece, respectively, perhaps an early indication of things to come.

“Hopefully, we’ll have all four in double figures [next year],” Hepp said.

The biggest drawback this season was one that the Catamounts couldn’t do anything about but won’t be an issue next year — senior leadership.

Panther Creek didn’t have that this year because it didn’t have any seniors on the team.

And all their success was newfound. It took the Cats just five games to match their win total from the year before.

There were at least two games where seniors could have made a difference, too. Against Middle Creek on Feb. 15, the teams entered the fourth quarter tied 45-45. The Catamounts laid an egg over most of the final eight minutes and Middle Creek pulled away.

In last week’s playoff game in Fayetteville, Panther Creek led Sanford by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter only to go cold and lose by 12.

But the Catamounts didn’t shrink whenever a game got tight in the fourth quarter. They played in 12 games decided by six points or fewer, and they won seven of them.

With everyone slated to return from a 22-win conference tournament championship team, there’s no doubt that the Catamounts are already itching to return to the gym. The first two years were a buildup to what should be a rewarding season in year three.

“We talked about that,” Hepp said. “We have a chance to hopefully be good, maybe great.”

Contact Tim Candon at 460-2606 or tcandon@nando.com.