By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

The Jemison High School boys’ basketball team lost to Vincent during their Jan. 18 home matchup with a final score of 43-34.

The Panthers played strong defensively, but struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities throughout the night. Jemison stayed within 15 points of Vincent all night, shrinking the gap off and on but never keeping any momentum offensively.

“We had plenty of opportunities and a lot of good looks, but if we can’t put it in the basket, there’s not much else [we] can do,” Coach Stacy McGehee said. “We played good defense.”

The first period, Jemison seemed to be in control of the game. Will Johns sank a 3-point shot to put the first score on the board. Ryan Thompson got into a rhythm early as well, dropping six points in under two minutes of play.

The Panthers led 11-9 going into the second period, but they faced a barrage of baskets from Vincent as the Yellow Jackets woke up. Jemison ended the half behind by nine points.

In the second half, Jemison was answered tit-for-tat. Despite the team’s best efforts in the final minutes at managing the clock and turning up the heat, time ran out on the Panthers at the same 9-point deficit.

The loss will not affect playoff standings for Jemison, but did push the Panthers’ record to 8-6. Jemison (1-3 area) will play against Dallas County (11-4, 4-1 area) on the road on Jan. 20, with Dallas County coming in on a six-win streak.