The opening streak for the BCHS Lady Leopards was short-lived as Banks County hosted Habersham Central Tuesday night.
The 62-34 defeat started off with Habersham scoring nine unanswered points.
According to coach Jerry King, Banks County’s biggest problem was defending against the inside girl.
“We had trouble shooting and blocking their inside position,” he said. “It was a long night.”
Banks County was coming into the home opener on the back of two easy wins from the Rabun County tip-off tourney. The Habersham Raiders were the first real challenge the Lady Leopards have faced this season and they weren’t holding back.
Habersham maintained at least a 10-point lead throughout the game. At halftime, the Lady Leopards were battling a 19-point deficit, 35-16.
Banks County tried to fight back, but couldn’t find the hole with their shots. Only two Lady Leopards managed to hit double digits. Deasha Beasley scored 14 points, hitting six fieldgoals and going 2 for 5 at the line. Taylor Kennedy had the same percentage on free throws, hitting 4 of 9 and scoring 10 points total. Other scorers were Madison Franklin 3 points, Laura Pickens 3 points, Kellany Merck 2 points and Terri Cregar 2 points.
Coming up for the Banks County Lady Leopards are two more home games this weekend as the girls take on the best Jackson County has to offer, first with East Jackson on Friday and Jackson County on Saturday.
“I don’t know much about East Jackson this year,” said King. “Jackson County has a good team and they are playing well. This week is going to be a challenge.”
The Lady Leopards host the Lady Eagles at 7 p.m. on Friday. East Jackson is coming off a 47-28 loss to Apalachee on Tuesday. So far in the season, the cross-region rival has won one game in a 52-2 rout of AAA Lanier High School. While the game doesn’t matter as far as region standings, the rivalry between the Lady Leopards and the Lady Eagles is a close-fought battle. Last year, Banks County won one of three closely played games. The Lady Leopards look to set the stage this season with a win over the first opponent from 8-AA.
Following on Saturday is another cross-region opponent. The Jackson County Lady Panthers are on a bumpy start, but still have a good team according to King. The last meeting between Banks County and the Lady Panthers was during the 08-09 season when the teams split the two games. Banks County hosts Jackson with girls’ tip-off at 4 p.m. Saturday.
After the weekend home excitement, the Lady Leopards take the action on the road traveling to Lexington to face the Patriots of Oglethorpe. Tip-off on Tuesday is at 6 p.m. with the boys following.
