It was a mixed bag of results for the Jackson County Panthers last week, highlighted by their first win of the season, as they defeated the Eagles of East Jackson Friday night.
Next up is a trip to Stephens County to face the Indians in region play on Friday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Last Tuesday, the Panthers traveled to Oglethorpe County to face the Patriots. Things started out well, with Jackson County holding a one-point lead, 8-7, at the end of the first quarter. The game would stay close, with the Patriots taking a five point lead, 28-23, into the half.
The Panthers stayed within five points of Oglethorpe in the third quarter, with the difference being a 45-40 score. Things got tight in the fourth quarter, and with 25 seconds left, the Panthers were down by only one point.
But Jackson County failed to box out on two free throws, opening the door for the Patriots to get away with a 59-54 victory.
Joseph Smith led in scoring for the Panthers with 15 points. Juice Harrison scored 13 points and had seven rebounds. Jarvis Shaw scored eight points.
“We were 20 of 34 from the free throw line,” said coach Britt Beaver. “This is the lowest free throw percentage we have shot in two years. We average 70 percent from the line as a team. When you lose a game by five and miss 14 free throws, it hurts.”
Friday night saw the first meeting of the Jackson County Panthers and the East Jackson Eagles in over a year, as the two teams did not face each other last season.
East Jackson moved out to an early lead, holding an 18-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter. But the Panthers stormed back, and took a 10-point advantage, 34-24, into the half.
Jackson County continued to control the game, adding 19 points to their total to lead 53-39. The Panthers would pull out to a larger lead in the fourth quarter and come away with the 65-46 victory.
Joseph Smith led in scoring with 15 points. Juice Harrison scored 12 points and had 20 rebounds. Jarvis Smith scored nine points. Jonathan Holton scored nine points. Alex Crawford scored eight points.
“(It was a) great team win against a very athletic East Jackson team,” Beaver said. “We did a much better job competing on the boards. Everyone contributed to the win.”
Up next for the Panthers was a trip to Habersham Central to face the Raiders. Early on, Jackson County found themselves playing catch-up, as Habersham Central moved out to a 12-7 lead.
The Raiders would more than double their score before the half while holding the Panthers to four points in the second quarter to lead 25-11.
In the second half, the Raiders continued to add to their lead, making it a 36-20 game by the end of the third quarter. In the end, they came away with a 52-33 victory over the Panthers.
Joseph Smith led Jackson County in scoring with nine points. Nick Oney scored eight. Juice Harrison and Ben Weaver scored four each.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
