Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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 Tmu* fall Vlj 1 fat 04 MONEY /o MARKET RATE % BONUS ^(nrlMJars ♦AJiAlilntlilv SsraChage ♦T j(iw Minimi mn H.il.i mll; H«|uinctl tiiE\:o Intirt’t *N<r0di cl Account MONEY Be^iraltoOpen MARKET .■Awwint % afv* RATE lliqhfln' I ft U'J rjviLi-,, ■ V." :V'i 'I 'ill li9 rl ■ livetra ' IIX H.nihOli} www.haniiltonstatebank.com teiebanc: 1-877-527-2416 1 IC.tE.TSL fctiUB^bfcu. .?j ill mi.-:ij.'.ifK-JVi -i-i h.?: hkirjd: n! i: .t:y- witOfeiva Biutjui'itaaxtK'. Rate effective as of Nov. 2,2007 'll HAMILTON State Bank ) FDIC 'Mayne'Neal cITj Ci ev olet RENTAL VEHICLES Wayne Neal now rents vehicles for that special occasion or whatever the event, car in shop, going on vacation, we can help. Come See Us At Hwy. 441 in Commerce Or Call 706-335-3196 Ask For Ashley Hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday