Mark it down as a good ending to the regular season for the Lady Panthers of Jackson County, as they split the last two games on the schedule, losing to Franklin County while winning their final game against Eastside.
Jackson County now moves into post-season play, trying to work their way into the heart of the region tournament this (Wednesday) evening.
To get there, the Lady Panthers will have to defeat the number one seed Franklin County Lady Lions in Carnesville, a team that has twice defeated Jackson County this season.
“We’re going to go in and accept the challenge, and try to do things right and play well,” said coach Chad Pittman. “We’re going to try to create some things so that we’ll have some opportunities to be successful. We’ve got to play really good defense, we’ve got to rebound the ball, and we’ve got to limit them in transition. Those will be our three focal points going into Wednesday night.
“We’re going to go in, play hard, focus on the things we have to do to be successful, and who knows what might happen.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Franklin County
Last Tuesday, the Lady Panthers started off the week by facing the top team in the sub-region, Franklin County. The Lady Lions came out and took control early, and moved out to a 13-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Jackson County began to mount a charge, and put 12 points on the board, but Franklin County answered by doubling that number to lead 37-17 at the half.
“They’re the best team for a reason,” Pittman said. “They’re very efficient in all that they do. They get so many contributors offensively that if you have a lull, suddenly they’re up 10 or 12 points. They do a good job of capitalizing on any mistakes the other team makes.”
The Lady Lions continued to capitalize on mistakes and control the game, going on to win 64-27.
Ashley Skelton led Jackson County in scoring with 10 points.
“I felt like this game was better than the first time we played against them,” Pittman said. “Hopefully the girls can learn from playing really good teams like that, because they’re doing everything right.”
Eastside
Friday night’s game against Eastside was special for several reasons.
Along with being the final game of the regular season, and the final home game, it was the night of the first “Sweetheart Court” ceremony between the games.
With all this in mind, the Lady Panthers hit the court with a lot of energy, taking control early on. By the end of the first quarter, Jackson County led Eastside 14-10, then held the Lady Eagles to eight points while stretching their lead to 26-18 at the half.
The Lady Panthers kept their energy level high in the third quarter, as Skelton hit three three-point shots in the quarter. Jackson County added 17 points to their total to lead 43-26 by the end of the third. Eastside made a late charge, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Panthers won 50-39.
Breanna Drew led in scoring with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Skelton scored 21 points.
The Lady Panthers had 25 defensive rebounds on the night, and went 19-25 from the free throw line.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
