With the end of the regular season just ahead, the Lady Panthers of Jackson County are hoping to end their season on a high note.
Right now, they find themselves in the midst of a five game losing streak after giving up games last week to Hart County and Oconee County.
Jackson County will host Eastside in their final regular season game on Friday. The 3-9 Eagles were the last team to be defeated by the Lady Panthers, and since that Jan. 23 game, Eastside has gone 3-3.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Friday night will also mark the announcement of the first “Sweetheart” court for the school.
“It’s basically the same thing as football, but for basketball,” said coach Chad Pittman. “There will be a sweetheart court with both boys and girls, and there will be a king and queen. It’s voted on by the students, and it’s school wide, so it’s not just for basketball kids.”
The court will be announced during the break between the girls’ and boys’ games.
Hart County
The Lady Panthers began their week with a trip to Hart County to face the 7-5 Lady Bulldogs, who had defeated Jackson County last month.
Early on, the Lady Panthers worked to control the tempo of the game, and were able to keep the Lady Bulldogs in check through the first quarter, which ended with a tie, 11-11. The Lady Panthers continued their strong game in the second quarter, and going into the half, held a two-point lead, 26-24.
But in the third quarter, the Jackson County again hit a snag, as the Lady Bulldogs came to life. Hart County outscored the Lady Panthers 17-8, including hitting three three-point shots. By the end of the quarter, the Lady Bulldogs led 43-42.
The Lady Panthers worked hard to hang on and try to get the lead back, but in the end, it was Hart County taking the 68-57 victory.
Breanna Drew led Jackson County in scoring with 23 points. Ashley Skelton scored 12, Ana Rodriguez scored seven and Jessica Stevens scored six.
“Overall, it was a pretty good game,” Pittman said. “Just a couple of things that have been plaguing us for a couple of weeks now continue to do so. But overall I was proud of the effort.”
Oconee County
It was another road trip on Friday for Jackson County, as they traveled to Oconee County to face the 5-7 Lady Warriors.
Again, the Lady Panthers took control early, as Skelton hit two three-point shots and Katie Rodriguez hit one in the first quarter. That helped Jackson County take an 11-5 lead at the end of the quarter.
Things didn’t go as well in the second quarter, as the Lady Warriors came on strong and outscored Jackson County 15-4, taking a 26-15 lead into the half.
Ultimately the 11-point lull in the second quarter made the difference in the game. The Lady Panthers managed to cut the lead to 35-28 by the end of the third quarter, but they could not close the gap, as the Lady Warriors went on to win 46-35.
Skelton led Jackson County in scoring with 18 points, while Katie Rodriguez scored seven.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
