No. 7 Union Co. comeback falls short against No. 4 Putnam Co.

Despite a furious second-half comeback effort, the seventh-ranked Union Co. girls basketball team fell 58-47 to No. 4 Putnam Co. on Saturday, Jan. 25, in Blairsville.

After trailing by 22 at the half, the Lady Panthers (17-6, 8-4 Region 8-AA) opened the third quarter on a 12-4 run spurred by eight points from Andelin Hill.

Union Co. managed to close the gap to seven points early in the fourth quarter but was unable to get any closer as Putnam Co. senior Jashanti Simmons scored 10 of her game-high 31 points in the period to help prevent the comeback.

Hill finished with 15 points for the Lady Panthers, including going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, while sophomore Ava Hunter scored a team-high 16.

Free throws were a problem for the Lady Panthers on Saturday, as they went just 12-of-22 from the line in the 11-point loss.

Freshman Ellie Cook scored eight points, including two made 3-pointers, before fouling out in the fourth, while senior Kait McCarter scored six and fellow senior Brooke Dockrey added two for the Lady Panthers.

The game was tight early as Union Co. ended the first quarter trailing 20-12 to Putnam Co. (20-2, 11-1).

But the Lady War Eagles opened the second quarter on a 15-0 run and held Union Co. to just five points in the frame to take the big lead into halftime and force the Lady Panthers into the comeback effort.

Despite the loss, Union Co. remains in third place in Region 8-AA, three games back of Putnam Co. and Rabun Co., which are both 11-1, and a game up on Banks Co. (6-6).

The Lady Panthers have two games left in the regular season, and both are region games.

Union Co. hosts Banks Co. on Tuesday, Jan. 28 in the last home game of the season, before traveling to take on Oglethorpe Co. (2-17, 0-12) on Friday, Jan. 31.