Despite sending its Friday game with Elbert County to overtime in dramatic fashion, Jackson County couldn’t recreate the magic in the extra period.
Jackson County (9-6, 3-2) fell to the up-tempo Blue Devils 75-67 after leading by 12 points at one point.
“They just ran out of gas,” Panther coach Britt Beaver said of his team. “Elbert County runs it. That’s their game. We just ran out of steam.”
Jackson County’s Tuesday game with East Jackson was cancelled due to the recent show storm.
Against Elbert County, Jarvis Shaw scored 20 points and sent the game to over-time with a buzzer-beating layup, but Jackson County managed just two points in the overtime period.
“Their athleticism took over,” Beaver said.
Kolin Zimmer added 19 points in the loss.
Jackson County’s strategy this year has been to slow running teams and play effective half-court offense but Elbert County’s up-and-down-the- floor attack largely dictated the tempo.
“They did a good job of taking us out of (our game),” Beaver said.
This was only Jackson County’s second loss in its last 11 games.
“They played hard,” Beaver said. “I’m proud of the effort.”
It looked like the Panthers were on their way to victory no. 10 this season after Shaw gave Jackson County a 54-42 lead with 39 seconds left in the third quarter.
But Elbert County hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the period – a ball that bounced high off the rim before falling in – to trim Jackson County’s lead to 55-47 heading into the fourth. The Blue Devils then went on a 15-6 run in the fourth quarter to take a 62-61 lead.
With Jackson County trailing 65-63 with the four seconds left and down to its last chance, the Panthers got the ball to Shaw, who got to the rim and laid the ball in before the buzzer sounded.
But Elbert County controlled the overtime, scoring the first seven points of the extra period and limiting the Panthers to just one bucket.
Beaver noted that in the overtime period his team got away from what it does well – share the ball. “We don’t win games unless we share the ball,” Beaver said.
(Follow us on
Twitter and
Facebook for sports updates.)
