The Jackson County Panthers are hoping to get a chance to add a few more checks in the win column before the season is up. They missed two more chances to do so last week, as they fell first to Elbert County on Tuesday, then to Morgan County on Friday.
But a new week brings another chance, and that’s just what the Panthers will have on Friday, as they travel to Oconee County to face the Warriors.
Oconee County will hit the court fresh off a weekend win over East Jackson.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Elbert County
The Panthers started off their week with a home stand last Tuesday against the Blue Devils of Elbert County.
In their most recent meeting, back in December, the Blue Devils had won by thirty points, and Jackson County was hoping for a little revenge, despite Elbert currently being tied for first place in the region with Franklin County.
The game started out close, and stayed that way for the first half. By the end of the first quarter, the Panthers trailed Elbert by only two points, 14-12. They stayed close through the second quarter, as the Blue Devils led by only four points, 26-22, by the half.
Elbert County came back from the half looking to build a lead, and by the end of the third quarter, they had amassed a 10-point advantage, leading 42-32. The Panthers were unable to close by the end, but at least kept it a ten-point game, as the Blue Devils won 54-44.
Joseph Smith led the Panthers in scoring with 16 points, while Juice Harrison scored 10, and Nick Oney, Jonathan Baxter and Jonathan Holton each had six points on the night.
“This was a good game for us,” said coach Britt Beaver. “Elbert County beat us by 33 earlier in the season, so we have definitely improved and our young guys are stepping up. We missed some crucial shots right in front of the goal and had 18 turnovers, but really overall the kids played very well and battled all night.”
Morgan County
Next up for Jackson County was a trip to Madison to face the Morgan County Bulldogs, a team that is currently 4-5 in the region.
The Bulldogs had been victorious in the two team’s prior meeting back in December, giving extra incentive for the Panthers to try to win.
Incentive or not, Morgan County took control from the start, leading 14-11 by the end of the first quarter. The Panthers tried to keep the lead small, but the Bulldogs had other ideas, as they added 23 points to their score while holding Jackson County to 14, giving Morgan County a 37-25 lead at the half.
The Bulldogs continued to control the game in the second half, and at the end of the third quarter, led 50-37. They would add 13 more points to their total before the final buzzer to win 63-47.
Smith led in scoring with 17 points, while Jarvis Shaw scored eight, Harrison seven and Alex Crawford five.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
