After ending the 2010/11 season with 499 wins as head coach of the Whitman-Hanson girls basketball team, it was a long wait for Jim Daley to get his team back on the court in search of number 500.

Fortunately, he only had to wait four more quarters once the Panthers tipped off their season in Hingham Friday night.

The Panthers beat the Harborwomen 34-30 at Hingham High School, and Daley, with family and friends in attendance, was honored with the game ball and a standing ovation from the crowd after the game.

“It’s been a long, long summer, but it’s great,” Daley said. “It’s very, very special to me. It’s been a great ride all the way along. There have been great people for years, so I’m truly excited about it … and [Hingham] was so gracious.”

Boys basketball coach Bob Rodgers, who succeeded Daley as Whitman-Hanson athletic director this year, presented Daley with the game ball and said it was a great moment for Whitman-Hanson.

“I don’t know if anyone loves Whitman-Hanson as much as Jim Daley,” Rodgers said. “Jim Daley has bled the black and red for so long. He went to Whitman-Hanson, he started his teacher career there and is a Hall of Fame basketball coach … so this is a great night for us.”

Whitman-Hanson looked to put the game away early after Hingham scored the first basket of the game but were shut out for the rest of the first quarter as the Panthers went on an 11-0 run. The Panthers ran into foul trouble in the second quarter, but got a boost off their bench from sophomore Marina Kelly and a last second three-pointer from Cassie Chernicki to take an 18-11 lead into halftime.

Hingham closed to within five by the end of the third quarter and stayed within two possessions for most of the fourth until freshman center Erin Clifford banked home a shot near the free-throw line with 1:30 left that forced Hingham to foul in order to stop the clock, and the Panthers hit their free throws to hold on for the win.

“That was a huge basket,” Daley said. “[Erin] had worked hard and she’s going to be big for us for years to come.”

Chernicki and Kelly each had six points in the win while junior center Abby Trapp lead the team with eight points to go with six rebounds. Senior point guard Mackenzie Hatfield nearly had a triple-double in the game with seven points, seven assists and eight rebounds.

“I was proud of all the girls,” Daley said. “We know we have trouble scoring so we have to play defense. If we do that, we can compete.”

The Panthers stayed hot in their first home game of the season with a 36-30 win over the Hanover Indians at the high school on Tuesday. Senior Brittany Porter led the offensive effort for the Panthers with 13 points while also grabbing seven rebounds.

The Panthers will play the first game of a varsity doubleheader with the boys basketball team at the high school Friday against the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans. During halftime of the boys game, Daley will also be honored for his 500th win.