Jennings County High School

The Jennings County Lady Panthers traveled to Floyd Central for a pivotal conference matchup with the Lady Highlanders, who entered the contest at 16-2 and riding a 13-game winning streak. Jennings County came up just short in a heartbreaking 46-45 loss. Jennings County struggled early against Floyd Central’s ball pressure, committing several turnovers in the opening minutes and throughout the game. Despite the miscues, timely three-point shooting kept the Lady Panthers in contention, and the first quarter closed in dramatic fashion as Mollie Ernstes connected on a one-handed, three-quarter-court buzzer-beater to give Jennings County a 13-11 edge. The second quarter was more of the same, as the Panthers three-point shooting helped them jump to a 27-23 halftime lead. Jennings County built a nine-point lead in the third quarter, but Floyd Central’s defensive pressure intensified, allowing the Lady Highlanders to claw their way back into the game. Floyd regained the lead in the fourth as the Lady Panthers struggled to find offense. A clutch corner three from Kaydence Lowman put Jennings County back in front, 44-42, with 34 seconds remaining. After both teams split a pair of free throws, Floyd Central took possession trailing by two, and Floyd’s Elise Coleman drilled a game-winning three-pointer to give the Lady Highlanders a 46-45 victory. Full Scoring Mollie Ernstes 22 Etta Young 10 Kaydence Lowman 7 Riley Byford 4 Addison Petro 2 The Lady Panthers dropped to 13-5 on the season and 4-1 in conference play. They will be back in action on Saturday, January 17, when they host the Rushville Lady Lions. JV will tip off at noon.