ONE TOUGH quarter against a really good team added up to Jackson County’s fifth consecutive loss.
The Panthers (9-10) were out-scored 25-8 in the second period against Hart County Tuesday and fell 64-54.
“We just dug ourselves into a hole,” coach Britt Beaver said. “We just turned it over left and right.”
Kolin Zimmer scored 11 points in the third quarter and finished with 18 points. Logan Smith added 13 points and Jarvis Shaw tallied 10.
The loss dropped Jackson County to 3-5 in subregion play.
During this five-game losing streak, four of those setbacks have been by 10 points or less. So Jackson County has been close but unable to come through in the clutch.
“The ones we were winning were by a few,” Beaver said. “Now the ones we’re losing are by a few.”
Jackson County now faces the last team it beat. The Panthers play Oglethorpe County Friday at home as they try to get back on track.
Beaver notes the importance of this game. “We’ve got to get that one,” Beaver said. “If we don’t, we’re going to find ourselves in a really bad spot.”
Jackson County then faces subregion-leading Elbert County Tuesday.
Prior to the Panthers’ loss to Hart County, the team experienced a near-miss against East Jackson. Had a half-court heave gone in, Jackson County might still be celebrating. But instead, the Panthers’ contest with the Eagles became loss no. 9 for Jackson County.
The Panthers fell to the Eagles 43-41 Saturday on the road in a make-up of a Jan 11 cancellation. Smith’s half-court attempt at the buzzer had a chance, but hit the front of the rim.
“If he’d taken one more step, he might have gotten it,” Beaver said.
Shaw led Jackson County with 12 points. Zimmer added 11.
Beaver said his team played much better Saturday against East Jackson than it did the night before in the 22-point loss to North Oconee, but it didn’t translate into a win.
With nine seconds left, East Jackson hit a free throw to take a 42-41 lead and Jackson County then turned the ball over on its trip down the court.
The Panthers were then forced to foul. East Jackson hit one of two shots to go up by two and provide the final margin of victory.
Jackson County led this back-and-forth contest 26-19 at the break.
“It was just really a tight game … We played so much better than we did against North Oconee,” Beaver said. “That’s the best East Jackson team we’ve faced.”
Against North Oconee, a disastrous fourth quarter for the Panthers turned a close game into a rout.
The Titans outscored the Panthers 22-2 in the final period to win the game going away.
Only Smith reached double figures for Jackson County — which led 26-24 at the half — with 13 points.
The Panthers only trailed 40-38 at the end of three, but what happened after that was puzzling to Jackson County.
Beaver noted that North Oconee got too many points in transition during the final eight minutes, which was part of the reason for the Titans’ big run.
“They got on a little run right there,” Beaver said. “They had those quick little fast breaks. We should never get beaten down the floor. We’re fast enough where we shouldn’t get beaten down the floor.”
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