Union picks up big subregion win at Fannin
By TODD FORREST Sentinel Writer

The Union County Lady Panthers picked up their 12th win of the season with a 62-55 victory at Fannin County on Friday. The victory was mostly due to Union's outstanding shooting. The Lady Panthers shot 22-35 from the floor and 7- 9 from beyond the arc. The Lady Panthers also improved their free-throw shooting since the last meeting with Fannin, going 13-19 from the line. Juniors Sarah Fulghum and Candace Williams led the Lady Panthers with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Senior Leslie Bittenbinder also added 12 for Union County.

Fannin County held an early 14-11 lead after one quarter with Williams leading Union with five points in the quarter. During the second quarter, Fulghum had the hot hand and she led Union with eight second quarter points. Union led 27-26 in the final seconds of the first half when Kaley Sullivan hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lady Panthers a 30-26 halftime advantage.

The Fannin County Lady Rebels came out of halftime and outscored Union 25-16 in the third quarter and held a 51-46 lead going into the final frame. Williams scored five in the quarter, Fulghum, and Kayla Gowder added four third quarter points.

Bittenbinder and Fulghum combined to score 11 of Union's 16 fourth quarter points, but it was the Lady Panther defense that preserved the win. After giving up 25 third quarter points, Union only allowed Fannin four fourth quarter points. Union went 11-16 from the foul line during the final frame to hang on to the victory. The 12 wins for the Lady Panthers equals their win total for all of last season and the victory over Fannin gives the Lady Panthers their first win over Fannin since the 2000-01 season.

Lady Panthers outscore Dawson 48-20 in second half for 13th win of the season

Candace Williams scored a season-high 32 points with 21 coming in the second half in Union's 74-46 victory over Dawson County in Blairsville on Tuesday. Sarah Fulghum scored 15, Kayla Gowder had 11, and Leslie Bittenbinder added 10 to lead the Lady Panthers.

After taking a 17-5 lead late in the first quarter, Dawson County came back to knot the score at 26-26 at halftime. Williams led Union with 11 first half points as six different Lady Panthers scored during the first two quarters.

During the third quarter, Union opened with a 14-2 run to take a 40-28 lead with 3:21 remaining in the quarter. Fulghum led Union with 9 third quarter points, Williams had 7, and Gowder had 6 during the third frame. Union led 45-31 when Williams hit a threepointer at the buzzer to give Union a 48-31 after three.

Williams shot 10-10 from the foul line on her way to a 14 point fourth quarter. Union opened up a 21 point lead with 5:36 remaining in the game after two Williams free-throws. Bittenbinder also added six points during the fourth quarter. The 13th win of the season is the most wins by a Lady Panther team since the 2000-01 season. The victory over Dawson is also the third consecutive win for the Lady Panthers over the Tigers from Dawson County. Union County will travel to East Jackson on Friday for a sub-region matchup. Tip- Off is at 7:00 P.M. with the boys game to follow.