Panthers Rebound In Big Region Win

By Wright Hogsed

After a big region loss to Lakeview Fort-Oglethorpe, the 16-3 Union County Panthers looked to rebound as they hosted a region foe in the 12-7 Coahulla Creek Colts. Led by Senior Guard #2 Houston Henry, the Panthers came out the gates hot and put up 34 points in the first half, with 17 coming from Henry. The Panthers outscored the Colts 17-11 in each of the first two quarters, with five different players scoring in the first half, and the Panthers went into the half up 34-22.

After the big first half, Union did not let up as they scored 22 points in the third and held Coahulla Creek to another 11-point quarter. Senior SG #34 Hayden Hughes led scorers in the third quarter with nine points, with six behind the three-point line. The third quarter would end with a Panther lead of 56-33 and a big mountain to climb for the Colts in the fourth quarter.

The Colts put up a good fight in the fourth, as they would outscore the Panthers 25-22 but would fall 78-58. The much-needed rebound game puts the Panthers at 17-3 and 9-2 in Region 7 AA during the year, as the Colts fall to 12-8 and 6-5 in the region.

Leading scorers for the Panthers were Henry with 29 points, Sophomore G #1 Ethan Hogsed with 12, and Hughes with 11. Other contributors for the Panthers included Seniors Kaden Combs and Maddox Young, who scored nine points each, and Junior Holden Payne, who scored eight.

The Panthers travel for a massive Region 7 AA matchup in Kennesaw, GA, on Friday, January 24th, against the 16-3 North Cobb Christian Eagles. The Eagles previously beat the Panthers in Blairsville by a score of 76-65.