The post season came to an end last Thursday for the Jackson County Panthers. After picking up a win against Archer on Wednesday, the Panthers fell in their second post season game against Morgan County.
Jackson County ends their season 6-19 overall, and 2-11 in region play.
Archer
The game was close from the outset, as the Panthers hosted Archer in the play-in game for region tournament play.
Jackson County took early control, coming away with a one-point advantage, 7-6, at the end of the first quarter. The Panthers would stretch their lead out to five over the next eight minutes, while holding Archer to five points to carry a 16-11 advantage into the half.
The Tigers would begin making a comeback in the third quarter, outscoring Jackson County 19-11 to take a 30-27 lead. The Panthers began battling back over the last four minutes of play, outscoring Archer 14-11 to tie the game 41-41 at the final buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
The Panthers stepped up in OT, with Logan Smith hitting three key free throws to give Jackson County the edge. Alex Crawford hit two free throws with 10 seconds left on the clock, meaning Archer had to hit a three-pointer to tie rather than to win. In the end, the Panthers held on to win 52-49.
“The guys played with a lot of heart and determination,” said coach Britt Beaver. “We were defeated by Archer earlier in the year and so this was a good win for the guys.”
Joseph Smith led in scoring with 21 points. Juice Harrison scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds. Logan Smith scored eight points. Jonathan Holton scored seven points and had eight rebounds.
“(There was) great team defense the entire game,” Beaver said. “We did a great job competing on the boards, giving us some good second chance shots. We were down by as many as nine at one point, but the guys battled back and never quit.”
Morgan County
The next day, the Panthers hosted the number one seed on the south side of the region, the Morgan County Bulldogs.
Morgan County took control early, moving out to a five-point lead, 11-6, by the end of the first quarter. The Panthers worked hard and stayed within striking distance during the next eight minutes, staying within five points of the Bulldogs. By the half, Morgan County held a 25-20 lead.
The Panthers came on strong in the third quarter, and took the lead 29-28 late in the going. But Jackson County then turned the ball over three times, giving Morgan County the opportunity to hit two three-pointers, and a couple of two-pointers and a free throw, all in the span of about 40 seconds. By the end of the quarter, the Bulldogs held a 30-29 lead.
Morgan County would put the game away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers 20-14 to come away with a 60-43 victory.
Juice Harrison led the Panthers in scoring with 13 points. Joseph Smith scored 12 points. Alex Crawford scored 10.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
