With the regular season now in the record books, the Jackson County Panthers now prepare for their first post season appearance of the year after finishing fourth in the sub-region ahead of Stephens County.
The Panthers will play host to Archer to open region tournament play today (Wednesday).
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Hart County
In what they hoped would be a springboard towards ending their season on a high note, the Panthers played host last Tuesday to the Hart County Bulldogs.
Hart County took control of the game early, building up an eight-point lead, 15-7, by the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs would tack on 23 more points in the second quarter, while the Panthers held pace by scoring 19. Hart County carried a 38-26 advantage into the half.
The Bulldogs outscored Jackson County again in the third quarter, 25-14, giving them a 53-40 lead by the end of the third. Hart County would go on to stretch the advantage to 15 points by the end, taking a 69-54 victory.
Juice Harrison led the Panthers in scoring with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jonathan Holton scored eight points on the night, as did Joe Smith.
Franklin County
After several delays due to weather, the Panthers finally got to travel to Carnesville Monday to face Franklin County in the final regular season game.
Things looked good for Jackson County early on, as they held a thin, one point lead at the end of the first quarter, 10-9. The Lions would take the advantage in the second quarter, scoring 17 points, but the Panthers kept pace by scoring 13. By the half, Franklin County held a 26-23 lead.
Franklin County would pull out the lead over the course of the next eight minutes, outscoring the Panthers 25-14 to take a 51-37 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Lions would add 18 more points in the fourth while holding Jackson County to 10 to take the 69-47 victory.
Jonathan Holton led in scoring for the Panthers, scoring a career high 16 points on the night. Joe Smith scored seven. Jarvis Shaw scored six.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
