The Jackson County Lady Panthers continued their hot streak into the Christmas break by picking up wins against Morgan County and East Jackson last week.
After the break, the Lady Panthers will return to action on Dec. 29 against Sequoyah at Pickens County in tournament play.
Morgan County
The Lady Panthers began last week with a trip to Morgan County where they took on the Lady Bulldogs in region action.
Jackson County took control early, but the Lady Bulldogs stayed close and by the end of the third quarter, the Lady Panthers held a slim 32-30 advantage.
As time ran down, the score remained close, as Jackson County led 36-34. The Lady Panthers hit a three-pointer to make it 39-36, followed by two free throws by Ashley Skelton to move away. Morgan County made a late charge, but couldn’t overcome the deficit as Jackson County won 41-38.
Ashley Skelton led the Lady Panthers in scoring with 18 points. Bree Drew scored 13 on the night. Jackson County also had seven three-pointers on the night.
“We kept our composure the whole night,” said coach Chad Pittman. “They’re very athletic and quick, but we did a good job stopping them in transition. We also did a good job rebounding the ball that night, so they didn’t get a lot of chances to score. We did a good job on offense and got some good shots.”
The win gave the Lady Panthers a 2-1 region record going into the break. They are slated to face their next region opponent on January 8.
East Jackson
The Lady Panthers next played host to the Lady Eagles of East Jackson in the second meeting of the two rivals this season.
“You never really know the second time around with a rivalry,” Pittman said. “I was a little nervous on how we would come out to start the game. I knew if we came out a little slow and they came out hot, then we would be in for a battle all night. Regardless of what it says on a piece of paper about who’s better, you can throw that kind of stuff out the window when it comes down to rivalries. I knew we had to come out and get off to a good start.”
That was exactly what they did, as the Lady Panthers moved out to a commanding 11-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. They built on that lead in the second quarter, making it 28-13 by the half.
Jackson County continued to control the game in the third quarter, making it 50-22 by the end of the quarter. East Jackson made a late charge, but Jackson County held them well at bay to take a 62-42 victory.
Bree Drew led in scoring with 25 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Ashley Skelton and Sierra Roncadori had 11 points each. Victoria Fontana scored nine points.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
