Union edges Jackson on late three-pointer
By JARED PUTNAM

Sarah Fulgham pressures the ballhandler.

The Lady Panthers split their games in last week's United Community Bank Tip- Off Classic, edged by a single point in the game against Lumpkin County, but pulling out a close win over Jackson. The two games were mirror images of one another, as the Lady Panthers came out strong, building double digit leads early on. But in both games the opposition rallied in the third quarter, and the games became close fought battles through the final minutes.

"We got off to good starts on both of them," said Head Coach Mike West. He pointed out that although the team let the first game slip away after building a big lead, the Lady

Panthers have made up considerable ground against a Lumpkin County squad that had beaten Union County by 20 points or more in their last 3 matchups. Despite the fact that both teams essentially have the same personnel back, Union has "closed the gap."

"We had a chance to win that game and should have won that game, but I was really proud of our effort," said Coach West. Lumpkin County came away with a 54-53 win. Lauren Dyer led the Lady Panthers with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Her efforts helped earn her a place on the All Tournament Team.

L-R) Leslie Bittenbinder, Jess Seabolt, and Candace Williams celebrate after Seabolt's game winning threepointer.

The Lady Panthers had the opportunity for consolation against Jackson, and made the most of their opportunity, though not without a dramatic finish. Coach West said that in the game against Jackson, three things let that team back into the game. According to the coach, foul trouble, poor shot selection in the second and third quarters, and an opposing player who hit pretty much everything she put up (posting 27 points in the seccond half) eroded Union County's lead.

"I feel like we should have been able to beat Jackson pretty handily," said Coach West. "Our defense has to be better. You can't jump on people and let them back into the game."

The coach said that strong offense beneath the basket was the key to getting back in the game. "We went inside every possession and Kayla either scored or got to the free throw line every time, and that's what got us back into the game."

Despite the Lady Panthers height disadvantage, rebounding was another strength in the tournament, as they managed to win the rebounding battle in the two games as a total. "I was really proud of the way we blocked out. I think that will continue to be a strength because we work on blocking out every day and we're going to have to because we are small," said the coach.

Candace Williams directs traffic on the court.

In the closing seconds the Lady Panthers trailed 47-46, until Jess Seabolt hit a wide open three-pointer to clinch the 49-47 win. Coach West said that the play was originally designed to go down low to Dyer, who had position on her defender, but the wide open opportunity beyond the arc was too good to ignore. "Jess can- not pass up a shot like that," said the coach. "It's good that she felt like taking that shot and she had really good shot selection in that game." Candace Williams led the team with 15 points and added 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Kayla Gowder and Lauren Dyer added 10 points each.

Overall, Coach West said that he came away from the tournament happy with the

state of the team. "I feel good about my basketball team," said the coach. "The area that I'm the most pleased with is our ability to make plays in tight games. We didn't fold when [either team] got ahead of us. I'm also really pleased with how we are handling the ball. We're forcing a lot of turnovers, but we are not turning the ball over [as much ourselves.]"

The cheerleading squad roots for the girls. Lauren Dyer was selected to the All Tournament Team.