Lady Canes Fall During 2021 Season Opener

The new season arrived for the Jasper County-Monticello High School girls basketball team Saturday.

The Lady Canes dropped a 62-38 contest to visiting Oglethorpe County but the game was close until an injury to a key player as well as team foul trouble became factors.

Coach Robert Strong’s team was already short-handed entering the contest as two players were on a Girl Scout trip. Senior Jasmine Stone tore her ACL early in the third quarter. Two other players fouled out early in the third quarter as well.

“We were down by eight points when Jasmine went down,” Coach Strong said.

There were 52 free throws attempted by the teams in the game. The Lady Canes had four of its seven players with four fouls by early in the second half.

Strong is in his second season guiding the Jasper County-Monticello varsity girls. He said it will take time to get the program back to a competitive nature but the offseason leading into the 2021-22 campaign has been smoother than a year ago.

The Lady Canes will return to the court on Friday, Dec. 3, when they travel to Oglethorpe County for a rematch. The team will then travel to Social Circle on Tuesday, Dec. 7.