There’s no doubt about it, the Jefferson Lady Dragons are on a roll.
The team went three for three last week, defeating Banks County, East Jackson and Union County, and are undefeated in region play.
Next up is a non-region pairing, but one that still carries a lot of weight, as the Lady Dragons will travel to Commerce to face their arch rivals, the Lady Tigers, on Friday.
Jefferson’s Erin Knight (24) works to shake an East Jackson defender during Friday night’s game. Photo by Brandon Reed
Lady Dragons take three in a row
Jefferson is looking to keep its long going win streak alive. They have been victorious in the last nine meetings of the two teams, dating back to January of 2005.
Commerce enters the game with a 4-4 record in their region and 5-8 overall. A victory over Jefferson could be a major highlight for the Lady Tigers season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The week started with a trip to Banks County to face the Lady Leopards. Banks County was hoping to snap their own losing streak, having just dropped games to North Oconee and Stephens County.
The Lady Dragons got off to a strong start, finding themselves up 19-6 by the end of the first quarter. They continued to maintain that lead, and at one point in the third quarter, they found themselves up by 14 points. Jefferson would continue on to take a 51-39 victory.
Emily Jacobs and Erin Knight both scored 13 points to lead the Lady Dragons in scoring. Callie Holloway scored 10 points, as did Summer Bartek.
“The kids really played well,” said coach Jason Gibson. “We finally started doing some of the little things that plagued us earlier in the year. If you can do those things on a consistent basis, you can have a consistent chance to win.
“Our kids have come a long way and I’m really proud of them. They’ve improved a lot. I’m hoping we can keep it rolling.”
That roll continued on Friday, as the Lady Dragons made their first trip to East Jackson to face the Lady Eagles.
The first half was closely contested between both teams, as East Jackson took an early advantage to move out to a 7-1 lead in the first quarter. But the Lady Dragons began fighting back, and by the half, they had outscored the Lady Eagles 14-8 to take a three point lead, 20-17.
Jefferson took full control in the third quarter, holding the Lady Eagles to only two points while they added another 19 to their score to make it a 39-19 game at the end of the third.
East Jackson wasn’t done, and began fighting back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead at one point down to ten points. But in the end, the Lady Dragons prevailed, winning 52-40.
Knight led Jefferson in scoring with 17 points, all of which came in the second half. Holloway scored 14, while Marcayla Hester and Emily Jacobs scored eight points each.
“East Jackson is a scrappy basketball team,” Gibson said. “They don’t quit, they fight. It was a great atmosphere that night. It was just a good high school basketball game. I think our kids had a lot of fun playing that night.”
Up next, the Lady Dragons played host to Union County, a team that had defeated them earlier in the season.
With that in mind, the Lady Dragons were eager to even the score when they hit the court Saturday.
Jefferson got off to a good start, leading 12-2 at the end of the first quarter. That set the tone for the rest of the game, as they went up 20-13 at the half.
Both teams stepped up their games offensively in the third and fourth quarter, as Union tried to find an advantage.
But in the end, it was the Lady Dragons coming away with their third win in as many games, this time with a 51-50 final score.
Holloway led Jefferson in scoring with 15, while Jacobs scored 11 and Knight scored seven.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.
Commerce enters the game with a 4-4 record in their region and 5-8 overall. A victory over Jefferson could be a major highlight for the Lady Tigers season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The week started with a trip to Banks County to face the Lady Leopards. Banks County was hoping to snap their own losing streak, having just dropped games to North Oconee and Stephens County.
The Lady Dragons got off to a strong start, finding themselves up 19-6 by the end of the first quarter. They continued to maintain that lead, and at one point in the third quarter, they found themselves up by 14 points. Jefferson would continue on to take a 51-39 victory.
Emily Jacobs and Erin Knight both scored 13 points to lead the Lady Dragons in scoring. Callie Holloway scored 10 points, as did Summer Bartek.
“The kids really played well,” said coach Jason Gibson. “We finally started doing some of the little things that plagued us earlier in the year. If you can do those things on a consistent basis, you can have a consistent chance to win.
“Our kids have come a long way and I’m really proud of them. They’ve improved a lot. I’m hoping we can keep it rolling.”
That roll continued on Friday, as the Lady Dragons made their first trip to East Jackson to face the Lady Eagles.
The first half was closely contested between both teams, as East Jackson took an early advantage to move out to a 7-1 lead in the first quarter. But the Lady Dragons began fighting back, and by the half, they had outscored the Lady Eagles 14-8 to take a three point lead, 20-17.
Jefferson took full control in the third quarter, holding the Lady Eagles to only two points while they added another 19 to their score to make it a 39-19 game at the end of the third.
East Jackson wasn’t done, and began fighting back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead at one point down to ten points. But in the end, the Lady Dragons prevailed, winning 52-40.
Knight led Jefferson in scoring with 17 points, all of which came in the second half. Holloway scored 14, while Marcayla Hester and Emily Jacobs scored eight points each.
“East Jackson is a scrappy basketball team,” Gibson said. “They don’t quit, they fight. It was a great atmosphere that night. It was just a good high school basketball game. I think our kids had a lot of fun playing that night.”
Up next, the Lady Dragons played host to Union County, a team that had defeated them earlier in the season.
With that in mind, the Lady Dragons were eager to even the score when they hit the court Saturday.
Jefferson got off to a good start, leading 12-2 at the end of the first quarter. That set the tone for the rest of the game, as they went up 20-13 at the half.
Both teams stepped up their games offensively in the third and fourth quarter, as Union tried to find an advantage.
But in the end, it was the Lady Dragons coming away with their third win in as many games, this time with a 51-50 final score.
Holloway led Jefferson in scoring with 15, while Jacobs scored 11 and Knight scored seven.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.
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