JCCHS girls beat Franklin Co. in overtime

The Jackson County Comprehensive High School girls’ basketball team won a big region 8-AAA game in overtime, defeating Franklin County, 40-36.


Franklin Co. tied the game with two seconds left in regulation play to force OT.

That’s when the Lady Panthers’ foul shooting paid off as Savannah Roncadori drilled 4-of-4 free throws to secure the win.

Victoria Fontana scored 10 points and seven rebounds; Katie Phillips led the team with 12 points and 7 rebounds; and Roncadori added 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals.

“The girls continue to play extremely hard and battle with tremendous heart,” coach John Hawley said. “We are still working on our unforced turnovers but the effort is outstanding from the whole team.”

The effort followed another strong effort last Friday, as the Lady Panthers pushed one of the region's best, narrowly losing to, 54-51, to Elbert County (15-4, 7-1 in 8-AAA).

JCCHS (7-10 and 2-6 in 8-AAA) battled a 10-point deficit at the half. Defensive adjustments helped contain the Blue Devils as Elbert’s lead was cut to five after three periods.

Savannah Roncadori led the defense with six rebounds and seven steals.

Victoria Fontana drove scoring with 17 points, seven rebounds. Gabbi Kastner scored 13, and Katie Phillips added 12.

“I was exceptionally proud of how our team competed,” Hawley said. “We are moving in the right direction for the region tournament.”

Currently, North Oconee is No. 1 in the standings, with its home game against Elbert County on Feb. 5 likely to decide the top two seeds.