Lady Panthers see successful season end with quarterfinal loss

Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports
Lady Panthers

The most successful season in nearly two decades came to end for the Union Co. Lady Panthers basketball squad Tuesday, Feb. 25, with a 60-58 loss to Early Co. in the Class AA state quarterfinals in Blairsville.

Lady Panthers

Senior Andelin Hill goes up for two of her 15 points for Union Co. on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

The game and atmosphere were electric as the Region 8-AA champion Lady Panthers (23-7) and Region 1-AA champion Lady Bobcats (26-4) traded massive runs throughout fueled by a raucous crowd on both sides of the floor.

First year head coach Crystal Beach said, while not the end result the team wanted, she’s very happy with how her team performed last night and throughout the season.

Lady Panthers

Lady Panthers head coach Crystal Beach.

“I’m very proud of entire program’s effort and dedication,” Beach said. “We have the saying to get one percent better each day and every opportunity we have to get together on the floor, and they consistently did that throughout the season. A lot of our early battles helped prepare us for this postseason run, and I told the team last night that they have nothing to hang their heads about.”

Facing a 13-point deficit after a 23-8 run by Early Co. through the end of the second quarter and start of the third, the Lady Panthers could have folded.

Instead, they countered with their own 17-3 run to cut the lead to three, 39-36, at the end of three quarters.

Beach said her squad’s refusal to quit on the game exemplified the character the team has shown all season. The coach said that throughout the 2019-20 campaign, the Lady Panthers have had the motto to “go out there to play with intensity and effort, together, for four quarters.”

“I think that was living and breathing proof of our team philosophy when they (made that run),” Beach said. “It was a great thing to see. They could have just let the game keep going by, but instead they took charge.”

Lady Panthers

Senior Kait McCarter puts up a shot for Union Co. on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

The second-half resurgence was propelled by senior Andelin Hill, who scored all 15 of her points in the second half. Hill added 10 rebounds and three assists to be one of two Lady Panthers to finish the night with a double-double.

Hill scored nine of her points in the fourth quarter alone. That quarter saw two lead changes and a tie in the final two minutes, leading to a last-second play for the Lady Panthers.

Trailing 60-58 with 3.5 seconds remaining, Beach called a timeout and drew up a play for Hill.

The Lady Bobcats were expecting Hill to take the shot, and doubled her off the inbounds, forcing the pass to inside to sophomore Ava Hunter, who’s rushed attempt to get up a shot was blocked to end the game.

Hunter led the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with two steals, an assist, and two blocks.

Senior Brooke Dockrey also scored in double-figures with 14 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Kait McCarter, also a senior, added four points, while freshman Ellie Cook and junior Kyla Locklear added three points each to round out the scoring for Union Co.

Beach said she was very grateful for the community’s support during the game and throughout the season. The gym was virtually standing-room only, and so loud at times you couldn’t hear the referees when they blew the whistle.

“Especially being my first year up here, I can’t say enough for how thankful I am that this community has welcomed me into the family,” Beach said. “People said afterward that this was by far the most people they’ve seen packed in that gym. It was huge. Any time you can get a large crowd in the tournament for a home game, it’s always an advantage.”

For more pictures from the came, click here.

Moving on! Lady Panthers advance to the Class AA quarterfinals

Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports
Lady Panthers Quarterfinals

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Union Co. Lady Panthers are back in the Class AA state playoff quarterfinals after a dominating 61-37 win against Butler in the second round Wednesday, Feb. 19, in Blairsville.

Lady Panthers Quarterfinals

Sophomore Ava Hunter drives inside for two of her game-high 20 points Wednesday night.

As usual, Union Co. (23-6) used a high-pressure, full-court defense to spark a run early and never looked back on the way to the victory.

Head coach Crystal Beach said after the game that she felt her team is playing the best it has all season

Lady Panthers Quarterfinals

Senior Brooke Dockrey knocks down a jump shot for Union Co. on Wednesday.

“I think that we are (playing our best). Of course, as coaches, we always try to see little things we can do better,” Beach said. “But that’s what you want to happen at this point in the season. You’re playing your best ball, making the adjustment, having your team make the adjustments and execute, that’s what leads to beating great teams like we did tonight. They’re a great, great team over there. (We) have a lot of respect for them.”

With the win, the Lady Panthers secured their spot in the quarterfinals. Due to a universal coin flip made by the Georgia High School Association earlier this week, the top team in the bracket, when teams with like seedings meet, will be the home team in the quarterfinals. As such, the Region 8-AA champion Lady Panthers will be the home team when they face Region 1-AA champion Early Co. (25-4) on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. The Lady Bobcats will have to make the 300-mile trip north from Blakely to take on the Lady Panthers after defeating Chattooga 64-45 in the second round Thursday, Feb. 20.

“Any time you can play at home in the state tournament is a huge deal,” Beach said of winning the coin flip. “Playing in front of a home crowd means something to our girls, and they played like that tonight.”

While the Lady Panthers started the game on a 6-0 run and never trailed, visiting Butler (19-10) went on a 6-0 run of their own at the end of the first quarter and startof the second to close the gap to 15-14 less than a minute into the second period.

Lady Panthers Quarterfinals

Senior Andelin Hill looks for options Wednesday.

Then Union Co.’s defense took over, forcing multiple turnovers and sparking the offense to a 16-2 run to end the first half.

Sophomore Ava Hunter and senior Kait McCarter each had six points in the second to lead the Lady Panthers.

Hunter finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

McCarter finished with a double-double: 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The second half proved more of the same as the Lady Panthers, sparked by a 3-pointer from senior Andelin Hill to start the frame, stretched the run to 25-2 before Butler finally managed to get on the board and make the margin 40-18 with 4 minutes and 35 seconds left in the third.

Hill finished with 11 points, including two made 3-pointers.

Senior Brooke Dockrey scored six points in the third and finished the night with eight points overall. Dockrey added six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the win.

Freshman Ellie Cook scored six points, all in the first half, from her starting guard role, while fellow freshman Corinne Hill managed to hit a lay-up late in the game to round out the scoring for Union Co.

For more pictures from Union Co. second-round game with Butler, click here.

 

Dominating defense leads Lady Panthers to playoff win

Lady Panthers, Sports, TeamFYNSports
Defense Lady Panthers

Led by a dominating defense, the Union Co. girls basketball team controlled every phase of the game Thursday night, Feb. 13, in a 69-40 win against Therrell in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs in Blairsville.

Defense Lady Panthers

Freshman Ellie Cook goes up for a shot Thursday, Feb. 13. Cook finished with seven points in the win.

Union Co. (22-6) forced turnovers on the first four Therrell (10-11) possessions while putting together an 8-0 run on offense. They led 16-7 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

Sophomore Ava Hunter, who is averaging 16.6 points per game this season, scored 27 in the win, which tied for her second-highest point total in 2019-20.

Despite the entire Union Co. squad having no state playoff experience, head coach Crystal Beach said the Lady Panthers came prepared.

“They were very focused going in,” Beach said. “Emotions and energy levels are always high, but they handled it well and stepped to the floor ready to play Lady Panther basketball.”

Even though Union Co. held visiting Therrell to just seven points in the first quarter, and built a 17-point lead, 36-19, heading into halftime, Beach said the defense still has some work to do.

“There are some things we need to improve a bit (on defense),” Beach said. “The press worked for us, but we need to execute more tightly with some of the things we saw out there. We definitely did what we had to do. Therrell is a great ball-handling team, with several kids who can take it all the way, so for us to put a stop to that shows how strong and capable our defense can be.”

Along with Hunter’s 27 points, senior Kait McCarter scored 12, while dominating on the offensive and defensive glass.

Senior Andelin Hill scored nine points, including knocking down two 3-pointers in the second half to keep the game out of reach for Union Co.

Defense Lady Panthers

Senior Brooke Dockrey, left, drives into the lane Thursday, Feb. 13, in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs.

Point guard Brooke Dockrey, also a senior, scored eight points, while controlling the game’s tempo and keeping the Lady Panthers in a constant attacking mode on offense.

Those four players – Hunter, McCarter, Hill, and Dockrey – have been the core of success for the Lady Panthers this season, and Beach said she wasn’t surprised they showed up big when it mattered the most.

“That’s what you expect of them in this moment. That’s what we’ve practiced and preached all season, and that’s what you expect: stepping up when it matters most,” Beach said.

Freshman Ellie Cook, who scored the first two points of the game with a layup off the opening tip, finished the night with seven points.

Sophomore Rebekah Chambers scored six points, all in the second half, to round out the scoring for Union Co.

With the win, the Lady Panthers advanced to the second round of the Class AA state playoffs. As the No. 1 seed from Region 8-AA, they will host the winner of Bryan Co. and Butler.

Bryan Co. (22-5) is the second seed from Region 2, while Butler (18-9) is the third seed from Region 4.

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