Lady Panthers bounce back, earn win against Banks Co.

With seven minutes to go in the first half Tuesday, Jan. 28, senior Brooke Dockrey hit a pair of free throws to give Union Co. a one-point lead and the Lady Panthers never trailed again during a 55-47 region win against Banks Co. in Blairsville.

Sophomore Ava Hunter puts up a shot against Banks Co. Hunter finished with a team-high 20 points in the win.

Senior Brooke Dockrey takes a jumpshot. She finished with four points in the win.

The win put the brakes on a two-game losing streak and got Union Co. back in the win column.

The Lady Panthers (18-6, 9-4 Region 8-AA) were led by sophomore Ava Hunter’s 20 points in the final regular-season home game.

Freshman Ellie Cook had one of her strongest games of the season, finishing with 11 points, including hitting a shot from beyond the arc right after Dockrey’s free throws to give Union Co. a 19-15 advantage on the Lady Leopards (10-14, 6-7).

Cook’s shot was part of a 12-1 run that blew the game open in the second quarter and led to a 26-16 Union Co. advantage at the half.

The third quarter was much the same as Union Co. opened on a 14-7 run before five-straight points from senior Andelin Hill gave the Lady Panthers a 45-23 lead.

Banks Co. managed to close the gap with eight straight points to end the third and start the fourth before senior Kait McCarter’s inside shot managed to stop the run and put the score at 47-31.

After six-straight points from Hunter, the Lady Panthers led 55-41 with 1:40 to go and head coach Crystal Beach sent in her reserve players.

The Lady Leopards continued to press in the fourth, outscoring Union Co. 11-0 during the final 3:48 to close the gap to eight before time expired.

Hill finished the night with 10 points, including two made 3-pointers. McCarter and junior Kyla Locklear each scored five points, and Dockrey finished with four to round out the scoring for Union Co.

The Lady Panthers will play the last game of the regular season Friday, Jan. 31, against Oglethorpe Co. (2-17, 0-12) in Lexington. That game is set to tip-off at 6 p.m.Banks Co.

Despite the loss to Banks Co., the Lady Panthers will remain the No. 3 seed in the Region 8-AA tournament. They will host the first round Tuesday, Feb. 4.

James Wolfe