JACKSON County was one half away from advancing to state for the first time in roughly a decade, but Union County’s shooters prevented that celebration from happening.
After being stymied in the first half, Union County (21-6) sank four three-pointers in the third quarter to overcome a three-point deficit and win 34-29 Thursday in the second round of the region tournament.
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“I felt like we kind of backed off a little bit,” Jackson County coach John Hawley said.
Jackson County’s season ended just as it started — with a loss to Union County. The Lady Panthers fell 51-42 in the season opener Nov. 19.
Mason Garland led Jackson County (11-15) with 11 points but was the only Lady Panther to reach double figures.
“We didn’t shoot the ball exceptionally well, and we haven’t in the last couple of ball games,” Hawley said. “We got great looks but unfortunately we didn’t get the second opportunities that we needed to get. When you’re not shooting it, you need to get the second opportunities.”
Jackson County, which received a first-round bye, brought the defensive pressure with its tight man-to-man in this matchup of Lady Panther teams.
The Jackson County Lady Panthers forced the Union County Lady Panthers into mistakes and poor shot selection in the first half, holding the no. 3 seed out of the North to one first-quarter point.
With Union County misfiring, Jackson County slowly built a lead. Savannah Roncadori’s three-pointer early in the second quarter gave Jackson County a 9-1 edge.
Union County’s ice-cold offense began to thaw, however, late in the first half with a 5-2 spurt, capped with a bucket from Rebecka Merritt with just three seconds left. Union County trailed 13-10 at the half.
Then came the third quarter.
Lauren Zollinger knocked down two treys and Merritt and Catie Tanner drained one each to give their team a 24-17 lead with 1:33 left in the period. Merritt then got lucky rolls on two jump shots in the final minute to increase Union County’s advantage to 28-17. Jackson County was outscored 18-4 in the period.
Union County sat on its lead for most of the fourth quarter, killing clock and scoring just four points in the final 7:29.
Mason Garland gave Jackson County a chance with a pair of three-pointers in the middle of the quarter. Her second bounded high off the rim and fell through to cut Union County’s lead to 30-27 with 2:46 left in the game.
Merritt sealed the victory for Union County with a pair of three throws with 11 seconds left to give her team a five-point lead.
“If you hold them to about 30-something points, you’ve got to feel pretty good about it,” Hawley said. “If we had just shot the ball a little better … but that’s just the way it goes.”
Hawley said he couldn’t be prouder of his team.
“They laid it on the line,” he said. “They absolutely laid it on the line.”
Jackson County loses seniors Macey Latty and Danny Cunningham as the program moves forward. Hawley praised the tenacity of Latty, calling her “the lifeblood of the team,” and Cunningham’s growth as a player.
“That senior leadership was strong and the other kids have stepped up,” Hawley said. “Our younger kids are learning what it’s about, and I think they’ll have a higher level of expectation of themselves. That’s where it all starts.”
