Perry puts away Peach County

PERRY, Ga. — It was a nail-biting finish for the Perry Panthers (5-13) against the Peach County Trojans (7-9) as they held off a comeback attempt to win 66-62 in Saturday’s final.

The Panthers, 1-4 in their last five games including a loss to the Trojans, were eager to get back in the win column. That showed as the game started.

Perry opened with a 6-0 run, and maintained a slim 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Senior forward Colby Dixon pushed the Panthers along in the second quarter as he crashed the boards and sunk back-to-back shots to give them a 34-29 lead at the break.

Perry continued to shine as the third quarter unfolded, and outscored Peach County for the third straight quarter to lead 53-43 entering the final period.

The Trojans were far from done, however, as they launched a relentless comeback to trail only 64-62 in the final minute.

Freshman guard Jamarion Brown was put at the line by Peach County for two crucial free throws, all eyes were on him.

Thankfully for the Panthers, Brown delivered to put Perry ahead 66-62 with two seconds left on the clock.

Head coach Mark Gainous emphasized Perry’s continuous evolution as a team and their exploration of different defensive strategies, which saw success on Saturday.

“We’ve tried every defense we can try,” Gainous said. “If we go down, we’re going down playing a very aggressive defense.”

Lady Trojans 67, Lady Panthers 35

Despite a valiant defensive effort, the Perry Lady Panthers (5-12) lost their third straight game on Saturday against the Peach County Lady Trojans (8-5).

The Lady Trojans seized an early lead to go up 14-5 after the first quarter, and despite the Lady Panthers holding them to nine points in the second quarter, the offense couldn’t take advantage as they trailed 23-14 at halftime.

Despite sophomore guard Cason Gentry providing consecutive scores in the third quarter, the Lady Trojans took advantage of Perry’s 16 turnovers, which helped Peach County score 24 points in the period.

The Lady Panthers only scored eight points in the fourth quarter, and the Lady Trojans scored 20 for a 67-35 final.

Head coach Fran McPherson admitted that fatigue had taken a toll on her team, as their matchup with the Lady Trojans was their fourth of the busy week.

McPherson acknowledged that impact on their ball security, evident by the 30 turnovers on he night.

Although it wasn’t a positive outcome for the Lady Panthers, McPherson noted the potential to grow and learn from this experience.

UP NEXT

The Panthers have another challenging week ahead, as they host Griffin on Tuesday for a region matchup. On Friday, Jan. 26 they will stay at home to host Spalding at 6 p.m. and will travel to Veterans on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m.

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