JACKSON County was held to its lowest point total yet this season in a 44-29 loss to Elbert County Tuesday.
The Panthers (12-11, 4-6), who have dropped five of their last six, close the regular season with East Jackson Friday and Jefferson next Friday (Feb. 11) as they hope to finish subregion play at .500.
Coach John Hawley pointed to Elbert County’s defense Tuesday night as his team was held under 30 points.
“Congrats to Elbert,” coach John Hawley said. “(Their) pressure took us out of our offensive sets.”
Jackson County led 7-3 after a quarter, but trailed 18-14 at the half and 36-22 after three quarters.
The Lady Panthers came into this game after coasting past a much less competitive opponent Friday. Jackson County scored a season-high 76 points in its 76-17 victory over Oglethorpe County to snap a four-game losing streak.
“It’s nice to get back on the winning track, no matter what,” Hawley said that night.
As expected, Jackson County rolled over the struggling Lady Patriots (0-18), leading 20-2 after a quarter and 41-13 at the half. The Lady Panthers then allowed just four points in the second half in the 59-point victory.
Jackson County out-scored Oglethorpe County 137-20 in two meetings this year, beating the Lady Patriots 61-3 in the first game.
With leading scorer Ashley Skelton still out following a concussion on Jan. 22, Victoria Fontana – who was injured for the first half of the season – scored a season-high 22 points to lead Jackson County’s offensive onslaught.
Twelve different Lady Panthers scored as Jackson County was able to empty its bench.
“Some of the younger kids are really starting to step up and show some good energy on the floor,” Hawley said. “We were able to do a lot of different kind of combinations and things like that tonight.”
There were still areas in which the Lady Panthers could have played better, Hawley said. The team continues to struggle on the offensive boards — even in this game.
“I still feel like we’ve got to do a better job of getting second opportunities,” Hawley said. “We just don’t get enough second opportunities. We’ve got four losses by 12 points, 10 points total, and that all comes down to getting second opportunities … We need to get into doing that before we get to the region tournament."
The coach also said the Lady Panthers must improve their off-ball defense.
“That’s something I felt like we had a little lull in there with and denying that first pass and getting up and being on a player once they receive the ball,” Hawley said. “But other than that, I thought the kids did a great job tonight.”
