Jennings County High School

The Jennings County Lady Panthers traveled to Batesville High School on Friday night to face a potential sectional opponent in the Batesville Lady Bulldogs. Jennings County controlled the contest from start to finish, earning a convincing 52–37 victory, continuing a very strong season for the Lady Panthers. Jennings County came out strong, jumping to an early 12–2 lead. While the offense cooled off slightly after the fast start, the Lady Panthers remained in control and carried a 23–13 advantage into halftime. Both teams found more offensive rhythm in the second half, as Batesville trimmed the deficit to 37–29 entering the fourth quarter. Jennings County then put the game away in the final period, turning up the defensive pressure to force turnovers and create easy scoring opportunities. The Lady Panthers stretched the lead to as many as 20 points before closing out a 52–37 victory. Jennings County was led by senior Mollie Ernstes and junior Etta Young. Mollie finished with 25 points, including 16 in the second half, while Etta added 15 points. Full Varsity Scoring Mollie Ernstes 25 Etta Young 15 Aniston Kent 6 Kaydence Lowman 4 Riley Byford 2 The JV squad also picked up a win, earning an 11–7 victory in a shortened two-quarter game. Mookky Ratcliff and Bradleigh Matern led the Panthers with three points each, while Madisyn Johnson and Brianna Phillips added two apiece. Karmindy Lowman rounded out the scoring with one point. Jennings County improved to 12–3 on the season and will face a quick turnaround, traveling to Greensburg on Saturday, January 3. The matchup will present a significant test for the Lady Panthers, as Greensburg is both a potential sectional opponent and last season’s sectional champion.