The Lady Panthers of Jackson County were hoping to pick up some momentum heading into the Christmas break.
They did just that. After a loss to Stephens County on Tuesday, the Lady Panthers rebounded with a strong victory over West Hall on Friday night to give them a 6-2 overall record, while they continue to search for their first region victory of the season.
Up next, Jackson County plays host to Commerce, Providence and Hebron Christian for the Jingle Jam tournament, beginning on Monday. The Lady Panthers start their tournament play at 6 p.m. against Hebron, with the outcome to determine Tuesday’s schedule.
Jackson County will hit the court for the first time in 2009 on Jan. 6, when they play host to Johnson at 6 p.m.
The week didn’t start out the way the Lady Panthers had hoped. With two losses in a row, Jackson County was looking to turn things around with a home stand against Stephens County.
Things started out fairly even, with the Lady Panthers trailing Stephens 18-10 by the end of the first quarter. But offensive woes, including the absence of an injured Breanna Drew, showed in the second quarter, as the lady
Panthers picked up only eight points to Stephens County’s 12, with the Lady Indians leading 30-18 at the half.
In the third quarter, Jackson County continued to work to hold the Lady Indians in check, allowing 13 points, while the Lady Panthers offense scored only five points. Stephens County put the game away in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points to Jackson County’s two, to win 58-25 at the buzzer.
“We were 9-43 for the game in shooting,” said coach Chad Pittman. “That’s 20-percent. It’s hard to win if you can’t put the ball in the hole.”
Ashley Skelton led the Lady Panthers in scoring with 15 points. Jessica Stevens had eight rebounds on the night.
“I thought our defense did well, but I didn’t think offensively we executed very well,” Pittman said. “We had way too many turnovers for the game. In the third quarter, neither team seemed to want to take charge of the game. They were giving us opportunities and we didn’t score. Then we couldn’t answer when they scored, and they stretched the game out.
“There were some good things, but when you shoot that poorly and you turn the ball over that many times, you’re not going to put yourself in a position to win.”
Next up for the Lady Panthers was another home stand this time against West Hall. It was the second meeting of the year for the two teams. Jackson County had defeated the Lady Spartans back on Nov. 20 and hoped to have the same results this time.
Jackson County took control early, moving out to a 9-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. They continued to control the game, adding 12 more points in the second quarter to lead 21-9 at the half.
The only real bump the Lady Panthers hit came in the third quarter, as they allowed West Hall to score 13 points while they recorded only seven, making the score 28-22 at the end of the third. But Jackson County got back on track in the fourth quarter, picking up 10 points to the Lady Spartans’ three and taking a 38-25 victory.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
