It was a sluggish start for the Panthers in the first quarter putting up only six points and letting the Devils jump out to an early lead. To make matters worse, Panthers inside threat, senior Jared Scott, got into early foul trouble with two fouls in the first quarter.
Throughout the first half of play, a combination of turnovers and being dominated underneath, the Panthers were having difficulty getting some kind of momentum heading into the half. Jackson County went into the locker room down 25-17.
“We gave them too many second chances,” Jackson County head coach Britt Beaver said.
The Panthers surged in the second half. With just four minutes to play in the third quarter, they were able to cut the deficit to just three points. Scott along with senior Richie Rodriguez were able to put up 13 points together to help rally the Panthers back into contention. They were also able to hold Elbert County to six points up until the last couple minutes going into the third quarter.
“We felt they were tired and we tried to push it a little bit,” Beaver said.
The Panther rally was not enough. The Devils got a late steal that would take away all the momentum the Panthers had. Heading into the fourth, the Devils controlled the paint and were beginning to heat up from the field. This ultimately propelled the Devils to victory. They were also able to hold the Panthers scoreless for the majority of the final period.
“We popped a few shots we shouldn’t have, we should have had more patience,” Beaver said.
Overall, Beaver was pleased with the hustle out on the hardwood by his players.
“We played hard, I was extremely pleased with the effort,” Beaver said.
The Panthers take on East Jackson in a crucial regional match up Friday. Jackson County is fifth in the region with East Jackson on its heels. If the Panthers defeat East Jackson, it will eliminate a play-in game scenario for the postseason.
The stakes could not be higher.
“That will definitely be a heart kind of game,” Beaver said.
