IT WASN’T Jackson County’s senior night, but a pair of Lady Panther veterans took the spotlight on the final evening of the regular season.
Ashley Skelton scored 21 points and Bre Drew notched her 1,000th-career point Friday as Jackson County atoned for a Dec. 17 loss to rival Jefferson with a 44-22 road win Friday.
“I’m really proud of the effort,” coach John Hawley said. “Defensively tonight (Friday) the (effort) was solid. We had a few breakdowns, and we’ve still got to get in and work offensively. I felt like we still have some lulls that we need to overcome, but it was a great effort tonight by all the kids.”
Hawley noted the milestone night from Drew, who finished with seven points. Drew reached the millennium mark in the fourth quarter with a long jumper.
“That was big for Bre tonight (Friday) to get her 1,000 points,” Hawley said. “It’s a shame we didn’t get it at home, but I was really proud of our fans tonight. They did a really great job of recognizing her.”
Skylar Evanson led the Lady Dragons with 13 points. No other Jefferson player scored more than four.
Jackson County led 21-10 at the break and maintained that 11-point edge heading into the fourth quarter, leading 28-17. The Lady Panthers then broke the game open in the final period, going on a 9-2 run to start the quarter. That spurt started with Drew’s bucket that got her to the 1,000-point plateau, followed by a three-pointer from Skelton.
“She’s focused and was on her game tonight,” Hawley said of Skelton. “She shot the ball well, and she’s starting to really step up and starting to understand what we’re trying to do as a whole group.”
Jackson County ended up outscoring Jefferson 16-5 in the fourth period to put an exclamation point on a 14-11 regular season.
