Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Braselton News
Page 3B
Bovs' Basketball
Panthers knock off Raiders,
set to return home on Friday
Girls' Basketball
Lady Panthers focused on more than
just upcoming rivalry game on Sat.
AT THE LINE
Jackson County guard Marquice Gillespie, left, shoots a free
throw during the Panthers’ win over East Jackson on Dec. 1.
Excellent shooting at the foul line was a big part of JCCHS’s
formula for success against the Eagles that night.
BY ALLEN LUTON
There may have only been one
game played between the two schools
so far, but already it appears that
Jackson County and East Jackson
have developed a serious rivalry on
the hardwood.
Saturday night the series will
resume when the Eagles travel to
The Pit to face at Panther team that
won at East Jackson back on Dec. 1
in the first-ever meeting between the
two schools.
Head coach Britt Beaver’s youth
laden team heads into the weekend
on a high note, having just grabbed
its second win of the season, 72-66,
at Habersham Central on Tuesday
night.
“We had to go to overtime to win
it, but we were able to pull off the
win and become 1-0 in the subre
gion,” Beaver said. “Jackson County
has not been 1-0 in the subregion in
a long time. It was a very exciting
game. We did not play well in the
first half, but came out much stron
ger in the second.”
Jackson County’s Joseph Smith
set a new school record by going
16-for-16 from the free throw line.
He finished with a career high
36 points in the game. Marquice
Gillespie chipped in 16 points and
Will Wolter added 14.
Gillespie’s last-second put-back in
regulation sent the game into over
time. The Panthers then outscored
the Raiders 16-10 in the extra period
to earn the victory.
“I was proud of the way the
kids hung on and got the job done.
We started the game out slow and
sloppy, but they did turn it around
and played well when it counted,”
Beaver said. “Our young kids are
getting better. It is still a long road,
but they are getting better.”
This weekend will see the Panthers
(2-5,1-0 in Region 8-AAAA North)
face Heritage on Friday night and
then the Eagles on Saturday. JCCHS
hasn’t played a home game since
Nov. 20, going 2-3 during a brutal
five-game road stretch.
East Jackson is a squad made up
largely of players that were older
teammates to the current crop of
Panthers in recent years, which
makes the match-up interesting.
“I think there’s a lot of excitement
on both sides,” said Beaver of the
new rivalry with the Eagles. “It’s
just a good rivalry. Our fans haven’t
been real pumped up like this in a
long time and I just think there’s a
lot of excitement in the air and it’ll
be great to see both teams come out
and play hard. It’s anybody’s game.
We know our kids are going to come
out and I know their kids are going
to come out and play hard.”
Tip-off on Saturday against the
Eagles is scheduled for approxi
mately 5:30 p.m. following the girls
game.
BY ALLEN LUTON
After what has been a tiring five-
game road stretch, the Jackson
County girls’ basketball team will
return home this weekend on a win
ning streak.
The Lady Panthers (5-2, 1-0 in
8-AAAA North) enter Friday night’s
game against region foe Heritage
after grabbing a pair of wins in the
past week.
On Tuesday night the squad trav
eled to Habersham Central and
pulled out a 57-56 victory. In a tight
game, the Lady Panthers used a
solid fourth quarter to get the win.
Ashley Skelton led the way with 21
points and Breanna Drew added 15.
The two were a combined 9-for-9
from the free-throw line in the final
period.
“It was a good win for us,”
head coach Chad Pittman said.
“Everybody stepped up. I was proud
of the team as a whole.”
Last Friday night the squad trav
eled to Alcovy and came away
with a 39-29 win. Pittman said the
team’s ability to stop the Wildcats
on defense helped it come away with
a victory despite the cold shooting
night.
Drew led the Lady Panthers with
14 points, but there were not a lot of
players on either team tickling the
twine on the night.
“That was probably our poorest
shooting game of the season. But
I left feeling pretty good because I
don’t think we could have shot any
worse and we still won,” Pittman
said. “To be honest I think it was a
little bit of our legs being tired. I was
just proud of us. We played good
enough to get the win despite our
shooting.”
Jackson County welcomes
Heritage on Friday night in its first
home game since Nov. 20.
“We finally get to come back home
for the weekend,” Pittman said.
Perhaps the game most Jackson
County followers are looking for
ward to will be played the next night
when East Jackson comes to The Pit
for the first time ever. The first-year
Lady Eagles fell to JCCHS at home,
60-48, back on Dec. 1. Despite the
anticipation, Jackson County is not
about to look past Friday’s impor
tant region game. The East Jackson
contest is a non-region affair. Still
though, the game should be full of
emotion.
“It’s the talk at school, it’s the talk
in the community,” Pittman said of
Saturday’s game. “And I want it to
be spirited, I want it to be a big deal,
I want it to be a rival game, but for
us right now we’ve got to focus on
(region play). That’s the way we’re
looking at it.”
HARD
TO THE
BASKET
Katie Rodriguez
drives down
the lane last
month during
one of Jackson
County’s few
home games this
season. The Lady
Panthers return
to the friendly
confines of The
Pit this week
end for the first
time in nearly a
month.
Photo by
Allen Luton
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