Boys' basketball: Tough fourth quarter drops Jackson Co. to 0-4

Jackson County (0-4) took a 40-37 lead after three quarters then watched Oconee County reel off 11 straight points in the fourth quarter in a 65-55 loss to the Warriors.

The streaky-shooting Panthers hit nine three-pointers against Oconee County, but it wasn’t enough to carry Jackson County to its first victory of the new season.

Alex Crawford and Jarvis Shaw each scored 14 points to lead the Panthers.

Jackson County moves on to games with Fannin County (Friday), Banks County (Saturday) and Stephens County (Tuesday).

The Panthers started off hot Tuesday, hitting four three-pointers in the first quarter against Oconee County to take a 19-15 lead into the second period.

Jackson County fell behind in the second quarter after its shots cooled off but Alex Crawford gave the Panthers some momentum heading into the locker room by hitting a buzzer-beater to pull the Panthers within a point, 28-27.

Jackson County outscored Oconee County 13-9 in the third quarter to take a short-lived lead into the final period.

The contest was the Panthers’ most competitive of the season thus far. Jackson County came into the game on the heels of an 81-37 loss to Rabun County Nov. 23.