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East Jackson & Jackson County finish 2-3 in Region 8AAA

Contributed by Colin Hubbard (@__Chubs__)

Region 8-AAA just might be the best top-to-bottom region in all of AAA this season and the top four teams were put on display at Emmanuel College on Friday and Saturday to determine the region champion and the state tournament seedings.

The lionhearted Jackson County Panthers who eclipsed the 16-win mark and a spot in the state playoffs for the first time in 14 years faced off with the up and coming East Jackson Eagles in the second round of the tournament in what was a much-anticipated third meeting of the two rival schools.

The Panthers got the best of the Eagles in the teams’ first two meetings but all of that was thrown out the window when the two met at a neutral venue.

Coming off a 6-game win streak, the Eagles jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead to start the game after forward Jaylen Morgan knocked down a 3-pointer and hammered down a baseline dunk.

The Panthers knocked down back-to-back shots to cut the Eagles’ lead to three points but a Drue Drinnon pass to Travis Anderson resulted in a 3-point swish to give East Jackson a 10-4 advantage.

The Panthers then answered with three straight buckets to tie the game up at 10-10 and then took the lead 12-10 but Drinnon quickly tied the game up at 12-12 seconds later.

Then entered 5-9 sophomore guard Xavier Clark.

Clark who has been a minor contributor for the Eagles for much of the season entered into the game due to some foul trouble for East Jackson and made the most of the opportunity.

Clark quickly stole a pass from the Panthers and converted it into a contested layup to give the Eagles the lead back at 14-12. Seconds later, Anderson threw a pass to Clark who then launched up a 3-pointer and drained it as the crowd erupted in East Jackson’s favor.

East Jackson head coach David Boyd was extremely pleased with the spark that Clark gave the East Jackson squad.

“Tremendous, just tremendous,” Boyd said. “We were in foul trouble and he came in and played great he really did.”

However, the scrappy Panthers would not go away quietly and took an 18-17 lead with just over a minute left in the first. Drinnon and Anderson were none too pleased with the result and quickly took the game into their own hands and drained one 3-pointer apiece to give the Eagles a 23-18 lead heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter featured turnover after turnover for both teams which resulted in just 19 points being scored between the two schools. However, it was the Eagles who held a 32-25 lead with just three seconds before the half.

With the score likely to stand going into the break, Anderson had other ideas. Anderson buried a corner 3-pointer right in front of the Jackson County crowd as the buzzer sound which gave the Eagles a 10-point advantage at the break.

The third quarter was the best showing by the Eagles. As a team they shot 50 percent from the field on 6-of-12 shooting and knocked down six free throws as well. Drinnon connected on four buckets while Anderson added three, respectively.

The quarter also featured a dunk from Andrew Scott, a player in which the Panthers had announced was no longer apart of the East Jackson basketball team.

The Panthers held things close for much of the quarter, but the Eagles outscored them 18-14 which gave East Jackson a 14-point advantage with one quarter to play.

The fourth quarter belonged to senior Kamron Walters who knocked down three huge shots, two of which came on put backs. The senior had a chance to tie the game in overtime against the Panthers in their second meeting but failed to do so. He got his revenge on Friday night.

“Kameron has just been outstanding,” Boyd said. “He only started playing basketball in his sophomore year so he’s inexperienced but he’s just been great to have. He understands his role and came up big for us tonight.”

Boyd felt especially happy for Walters after what happened to him in Game 2 against the Panthers just a few short weeks back.

“I felt bad about what happened to him at the end of that game,” he said. “It’s hard to come in and be asked to make a big play when you haven’t played much in the game so I blamed myself for that but he came up really big tonight.”

The Eagles took all of the eat out of the Panthers late in the fourth quarter and cruised to a 71-49 win to secure no worse than a No. 2 seed in the state playoffs. The loss moved the Panthers into a game with the Jefferson Dragons to determine the No. 3 seed.

“I thought that the difference between the first two times we played them (Jackson Co.) and this time was the defense,” Boyd said. “They hurt us on the inside with their post players playing very well in the first two games but we did an excellent job of slowing Ellis and Giroux down tonight.”

East Jackson’s goal for the game was to get into transition as much as they could and that’s exactly what they did.

“We felt that our big four did a great job of spreading the floor and that helped us get into transition and run all night,” Boyd said. “We haven’t had all of our guys all season long until the very end so we’re happy. Anytime you can beat Jackson County is a plus.”

Drinnon finished with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting including 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. On what might have been a up and down shooting night for Drinnon, he couldn’t have been more happy with the outcome.

“That was the best team effort we have had all year,” Drinnon said. “Everyone played their role, played hard and helped us win the game”

Drinnon was especially happy for Walters.

“That was probably one of his best games all season,” he said. “His best game came against Oconee but that was definitely a close second.”

When asked how good it felt to shut up all of the doubters and knock off the rival Panthers in the biggest game of the season, Drinnon answered calmly and gracefully.

“It feels good, there’s nothing they can say.” he said. “We just beat them to go to the region finals. That it.”

Anderson, who has been Drinnon’s right-hand man all season long put together a solid game of his own. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting and had five rebounds and three steals to go along with it.

“Coach told us that we had to play like a team in order to win today and we did just that,” Anderson said. There is no I in team.”

Anderson was equally if not more happy to knock off Jackson County as well.

“It feels really good, especially with the amount of trash they talk and them saying a lot of negative stuff in their little newsletter and stuff like that. We beat them in the one that mattered.”

The win moved the Eagles into the region tournament finale for the first time in school history but waited for them was Morgan County who is the No. 1 ranked AAA team in the state of Georgia.

After a valiant effort, the Eagles were sent home with a 9-point loss, 60-51 against the Bulldogs and will take on Central-Carroll in the first round of the state playoffs as a No. 2 seed.

Jackson County took care of business against Jefferson, 57-54 and will take on Rockmart in the first round of the playoffs.

Oconee County spoils Jackson County senior night in OT

Oconee County 47, Jackson County 45 OT

It was an electric crowd for Senior Night
It was an electric crowd for Senior Night

One of the state’s biggest turnarounds, Jackson County (15-10, 7-5), looked to send off its seniors in style against Oconee County (8-16, 4-8) Friday night. Panther Indoor was packed, the 1966 girls basketball team was being honored and all the pomp and circumstance had electricity in the air, but in the end it was the Warriors stunning the Panthers and spoiling Senior Night, 47-45 in overtime.

Jackson County, coming off of a 4-22 season and winless region record, took Region 8 by storm this year by surprising everyone and running as the No. 2 seed late into the season behind defending state runner-up, No. 1 Morgan County. A win would clinch the No. 2 seed heading into the region tournament and a loss would slip the Panthers to third-place behind rival East Jackson who Jackson County swept in emotional fashion. One win in the region tournament and the Panthers will go dancing for the first time in 14 years, breaking a spell that has seen Jackson County absent from the post season picture for over a decade.

Before focusing in on the looming tournament, the Panthers still had work to do as they welcomed Oconee County. A potential trap game heading into the most important week of the season, the Warriors had fallen at home to Jackson County 49-47 on Jan. 12 and challenged the Panthers despite their sub-.500 record.

After coming out and mobbing with the crowd known as one of the best sixth men in the state, the Panthers came out roaring up 8-0.  The Warriors would get their footing but not before Jackson County took a 14-7 lead into the second quarter after Malique Wade drove the lane and whipped a pass inside to Mitchell Mershon for a basket at the buzzer.

Rahul Das came in off the bench for Oconee County in the first quarter and gave the Warriors a spark scoring four of his six points in the first period while finishing with a team-high 12 rebounds on the night. Das’ play helped loosen others up around him in the second quarter. Roques Dowdy, an athletic wide receiver on the football team, scored five points in the second quarter and helped the Warriors close to within 16-14, but Coach Chuck Butler’s team responded with a 6-0 run to push the lead back out to 22-14 with 53.1 seconds left in the first half. The score held entering halftime following a poor final play by the Warriors, holding the ball for the last 40 seconds and coming away with a last second one-handed heave.

The third quarter began with whistles on both sides. Jackson County, known for its gritty play, didn’t back down from any of the more athletic Warrior guards swooping to the paint. Jase Latty took a pair of charges – the senior’s calling card – and helped get the Panthers in the bonus half way through the quarter.

As Latty and company were sacrificing their bodies on defense, Joel Ellis began to eat away at the Oconee County interior. The burly undersized center gnawed away inside for eight points in the third and finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. The lead held steady at an eight point margin and eventually cracked double digits when the Panthers carried a 36-26 advantage into the fourth quarter, but from there on out Jackson County could not extend the lead while free throws began to haunt them.

With 5:01 left in regulation the Panthers still maintained a 10-point lead at 38-28 before the Warriors began their slow climb back into the game. Dowdy found Chance Peden for three to make it 38-31 with 4:22 left. Das made it 38-33 with 2:48 remaining, creeping closer. Stephen Fogarty slung a pass inside to Ellis to extend the lead back to seven but the very next possession it was Peden again, who scored eight of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, answering the bell.

Trailing 41-38, Peden was sent to the line. The senior missed both free throws but Das managed to tip the ball back outside to Peden who had floated to the three-point line where he buried a three to tie the game at 41 with 1:15 left.

Wade found Ellis down low for a bucket to regain the lead 43-41 with 43 seconds to play, but once again it was Peden getting to the hoop and tying the game with 23 seconds left in regulation. Jackson County had a chance to win it when Wade attacked and kicked it to Latty for three but the shot went wide and the game sent to overtime knotted at 43.

After being held to 26 points through the first three quarters, the Warriors broke the levy and poured in 17 in the fourth to Jackson’s 7. The Panthers had opportunities to shut the door but couldn’t do it from the foul line, going 3-of-10 in the fourth quarter led by Wade’s 1-of-6 as the guard couldn’t find a good grip on the ball.

Momentum had clearly swung into Oconee County’s corner, but the Warriors were still in search of their first lead of the game. They nearly had it at the 2:50 mark when Ty Paschal came away with a steal and went up for a wide open layup. Instead, it looked as if someone from the Jackson County fan section blowdarted him, causing him to slip, stumble and end up tossing the ball up in the air while he hit the ground.

The calamity of a fastbreak might have swayed momentum back into Jackson’s favor as it looked like the basketball gods weren’t going to let the hard working group of seniors end their careers with a loss on their home floor.

But It wasn’t in the cards.

The free throw woes continued with Latty missing a pair. With 2:22 to play, Dowdy streaked to the basket to give Oconee County its first lead of the game, 45-43. Preston Giroux, one of seven seniors, whirled in the lane and banked in a tough shot to deadlock the game with 1:28 to go, his 13th point to go along with his game-high 13 rebounds.

Oconee County held the ball and looked for a last shot with the ball in Dowdy’s hands. He finally made his move with six seconds after weaving around the defense. Dowdy slid to the cup, avoided Ellis and layed in the go-ahead basket with just 4.5 seconds left.

Coach Butler got a timeout with 3.8 left underneath the Oconee County basket. They riffled in a pass to halfcourt and called another timeout with 3.6 to play, setting up a decent location to draw up one final play. Latty bulleted a pass into Ellis on the left elbow. Ellis turned and fired but his shot was amiss and the ball went back to the Warriors with 0.8 remaining. Dowdy missed both free throws, allowing one last Hail Mary heave for the Panthers but their prayers were not answered as it went wide left.

My Take: My final regular season game of the year couldn’t have been a better choice. Jackson County was electric on Senior Night, a program that has risen from the ashes since Chuck Butler took over full-time last year. The student section was the best I’ve witnessed all season long and the most in-tune with their team. The Panthers opened the night coming out of the locker room and jumping into the fan section, mobbing each other for one last time before going to war. Even during the pre-game warm ups, the Panthers’ defensive slide drill which ends in all 10 players diving in unison for a simulated loose ball was a spectacle to behold and really revved up the home crowd. As far as the action on the court, the Panthers do not wow you with size, speed or athleticism. What they do wow you with is their heart and tenacious play. Coach Chuck Butler installed the E.A.T. motto “Effort, Attitude, Toughness”. All were on display as the undersized and unheralded Panthers fight for every possession, nothing given to them. They are difficult to drive the lane on because almost everyone on the roster is eager to step in and take a charge on the chest. Jase Latty has turned it into an art form while Stephen Fogarty isn’t afraid to take the beating as a guard. Preston Giroux and Joel Ellis were the Panthers’ go-to guys tonight. The two combined for 32 points and 24 rebounds. Giroux is adept at getting to the basket while Ellis pounds his way inside, very patient using as many pump fakes as needed before gathering himself and finishing down low. Christian Smith battled foul trouble all night, really hurting the usually balanced attack. Malique Wade had an off game offensively but played a good floor game collecting five assists.

Oconee County did what it needed to do against Jackson; hang around. Jace Bonds hit three timely three-pointers and Roques Dowdy had the game-winner, but big men Chance Peden and Rahul Das did the most damage. Das entered the game and made an impact immediately. He finished with six points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Jackson County struggled keeping him off the glass as he was able to get a hand on nearly every ball that ricocheted off the rim. Peden came alive in the fourth quarter with 10 points and carried the load with two big threes and the lay up to tie the game at 43 and send it to overtime. Jackson County and Oconee County will meet one final time in the Region 8 tournament. Win and advance, or lose and go home. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out with both teams earning two-point victories over each other this year.

Top Performers

Oconee County
Chance Peden – 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
Roques Dowdy – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Jace Bonds – 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Rahul Das – 6 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Jackson County
Joel Ellis – 19 points, 11 rebounds
Preston Giroux – 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Malique Wade – 3 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
Stephen Fogarty – 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals

Jackson County Stuns No. 4 East Jackson, 67-63

Behind Joel Ellis’ 20 points, Jackson County (5-3, 2-0) stunned No. 4 East Jackson (3-4, 0-2) on Friday night, 67-63. Ben Munro of The Jackson Herald was in attendance to cover the game. Please follow him at @BHMunro1 on Twitter and click on the link below for full details of the upset.

http://www.mainstreetnewssports.com/archives/8338-Boys-basketball-Jackson-Co.-topples-fourth-ranked-East-Jackson.html