Homer, Georgia- The Lady Panthers (2-5) traveled to Homer, Georgia to face the Banks County Lady Leopards (13-9) in a region matchup. The Lady Panthers are looking to pick up their first region win of the year.

First Quarter

To start the game, both teams had a tough time getting going offensively due to turnovers. The Lady Panthers were trying to force things offensively, causing back to back turnovers. The Leopards went on a quick 4-0 run. Junior Ava Hunter got the Panthers on the board with 2 made free throws. After a quiet first quarter for both teams offensively, the Lady Panthers trailed 8-5 at the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter

To begin the quarter, Sophomore Ellie Cook got the Panthers on the board after being fouled on a 3 pointer and making 2/3 free throws. Junior Rebekah Chambers got fouled on the rebound and she also went to the line for 2 free throws. Chambers made 1/2 to tie the game at 8. Cook put the Panthers ahead 10-8 as she scored on a steal. Hunter extended the lead to 4 as the Leopards were forced to call a timeout. The Leopards responded quickly out of the timeout but Cook responded to that with a 3 pointer before the defense could get set up. The Leopards went on a quick 5-0 run to tie the game after 2 Panther turnovers. Both teams went on a turnover run for about 2 minutes straight, scoring 0 points. The Leopards broke the no scoring streak after 2 made free throws. The Lady Panthers broke their no scoring run as Hunter got her 9th rebound and scored. The Leopards responded very quickly to retake the lead. After another Panther turnover, the Leopards answered and extended their lead to 4.The Lady Panthers trailed 21-17 at halftime. Hunter led the team with 7 points and 9 rebounds.

Third Quarter

The Lady Panthers had a rough second half start, starting with a turnover and ending up with 2 more Leopard points. Cook got the Lady Panther offense on the board as she scored her 9th point. The Panthers offensive struggles continued as the turnovers piled up. The Panthers got some momentum after a huge Hunter block. The Panthers cut the deficit to 3 after making 1 free throw and scoring on the inbound pass after gaining possession from a jump ball. After the Leopards extended their lead back to 5, Chambers got fouled on her shot, made the shot and the presuming free throw to cut the Leopard lead to 2. The Panthers were having a tough time stopping the Leopards from scoring fast break points. After multiple turnovers, Chambers made a last second jumper to cut the deficit to 4. The Panthers still trailed the Leopards 31-27 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Fourth Quarter

The Leopards started the quarter scoring very quickly and forcing the Panthers into another turnover. The Panthers were having a hard time stopping the Leopards with their quick ball movement, as they scored 4 quick points.  Chambers responded with a nice post move to break the scoring drought. After 2 Cook steals, the Panthers weren’t able to score any points. The Panthers were having a tough time capitalizing on opportunities, not getting rebounds and turning the ball over after Leopard misses. Hunter scored off a Cook steal to cut the lead to cut the deficit to 6. After a missed Leopard free throw, the Panthers pushed the ball up the floor quickly but Coach Mandy Hunter was forced to call timeout as things got out of control. Out of the timeout, Cook cut the lead to 4 as she made a nice midrange floater. The Leopards answered quickly to extend their lead to 6 with under 2 minutes left. Hunter responded scoring on an inbound play to cut the deficit back to 4. The Leopards extended their lead to 5 after making a free throw but Chambers responded with a layup on the other end to cut the deficit down to 3 with 1 minute left. The Panthers got a huge defensive stop but missed the layup on an inbound play and were forced to foul after the Leopards got the rebound. The Lady Panthers fall to Banks County 47-39 to fall to 0-2 in region play. The Lady Panthers travel to Elbert County for another region matchup on Friday. The game will begin at 6:30.