Jackson Progress-Argus

Jackson sophomore point guard Latara Grier has her pass deflected by a Henry County defender.

McDonough — The Jackson High School Lady Red Devils lost two of their most experienced point guards in a 66-36 loss to the Henry County Lady Warhawks Friday night at Henry County High School.

The Lady Devils struggled offensively early in the game, but improved in the second quarter. The Lady Warhawks started the game on a 14-2 run during the opening five minutes and held a comfortable 16-6 lead by the time the quarter came to an end.

The Lady Devils responded well in the second quarter, however. Junior forwards Peaches Barr and Chelsie Wilson each grabbed a few offensive rebounds to help Jackson score some second-chance points. Meanwhile, the Henry County guards did not shoot as well and routinely settled for jump shots from the perimeter. The result was a deficit that was trimmed to 29-22 by halftime.

Jackson Head Coach Corey Johnson said he talked with the team about the importance of rebounding and said he was pleased with their ability to do so in the first half.

“We talked about the fact that we needed to box out and rebound better so that we don’t give up the second-chance points,” said Johnson. “I thought we did that well in the first half. We just weren’t able to keep it going for the whole game.”

Jackson struggled in the second half against the Lady Warhawks, getting outscored 37-14, after losing both its starting and backup point guards to knee injuries.

Junior guard Jasmine Williams, who has often been in the starting lineup but is used as a crucial backup to sophomore point guard Latara Grier, left the game with a left knee injury midway through the third quarter. The injury caused a long stoppage in the game, and Jackson only scored two more points during the remainder of the quarter, resulting in a 55-29 deficit.

Grier also left the game with a knee injury.

“Jasmine hurt her knee pretty bad there, and her mom took her home,” said Johnson. “Latara went to the hospital, so it doesn’t look like either of them will be able to play soon, but we don’t know for sure.”

Johnson used much of the fourth quarter to give his backups and underclassmen experience on the court, which he said in a conversation back in December was very important for the development of the program.

After the game, Johnson lamented the fact that his team was not able to convert a higher percentage of their free throws.

“One of the other things we said we had to eliminate was missing free throws,” said Johnson. “We didn’t do that. We missed free throws early and often. I think if we knocked down our free throws, we are easily up at halftime, and then it’s a different ball game.”

Jackson’s next game is at home on Friday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m., against Eastside High School.