Seymour’s Journee Brown puts up a shot over a Jennings County defender during the Owls’ 59-38 loss to the Panthers on Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 4A sectional at Floyd Central.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
Seymour’s Kendall Sterling drives around a Jennings County defender during the Owls’ 59-38 loss to the Panthers on Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 4A sectional at Floyd Central.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
Seymour’s Kendall Sterling puts up a shot during the Owls’ 59-38 loss to the Jennings County Panthers on Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 4A sectional at Floyd Central.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
Seymour Sophie Skidmore drives toward the lane during the Owls’ 59-38 loss to the Jennings County Panthers on Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 4A sectional at Floyd Central.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
FLOYDS KNOBS — The pregame forecast was depressingly accurate for Seymour’s girls basketball team on Tuesday night.
In the opening game of the Floyd Central Sectional, the highly ranked and strongly favored Jennings County Panthers used a 15-0 second-quarter rally to take firm control of an eventual 59-38 victory.
The loss ends Seymour’s season with an 11-12 record. The victory improves Jennings’ record to 22-3 and moves the Panthers into the sectional’s semifinal round, where they will take on bye recipient Jeffersonville on Friday night.
Jennings, favored to win its first sectional title since 2005, entered the tournament ranked fifth in the state polls and No. 1 in the season-ending Sagarin Ratings. The Panthers defeated Seymour by 30 in December, but to the Owls’ credit, they played JC tougher on Tuesday night.
Seymour generated early excitement by constructing a 9-0 run and taking a brief 14-12 lead. Down 12-5, sophomore Sophie Skidmore started the Owls’ turnaround by swishing a 3-point shot from top of the key and cutting the deficit to four.
Senior Journee Brown contributed a layup a minute later, followed by consecutive baskets by senior Kendall Sterling in a 20-second span. The second of Sterling’s buckets was a fast-break layup created by her own steal on the other end of the floor, which pushed Seymour in front by two points with 7:27 left on the second-period clock.
Jennings County responded, however, by stepping up its defensive pressure and going on its decisive 15-0 run. Seymour aided the Panthers by turning the ball over seven times in the second quarter.
“You can’t do some of the things we did and beat them,” Seymour head coach Jason Longmeier said. “You can’t turn the ball over or blow defensive assignments. That just doesn’t work against (Jennings County). They’re just too good. They have too many weapons.”
Chief among the Panthers’ weapons is 6-foot senior Juliann Woodard, who led all scorers with a 28-point effort on Tuesday night. Woodard made 12 field goals, including two 3-pointers. Her 13 second-quarter points turned the game in JC’s favor.
“We got the good Woodard tonight,” Longmeier said. “I thought she was awesome. She showed why she is who she is. When she plays that way, they’re a handful.”
Seymour countered with Sterling’s team-high 17 points. The senior scored 13 in the first half to keep the Owls close, then was the target of Jennings’ attention during the second half, which limited her to four points after the break.
“They made some adjustments to our (isolations), and Kendall got a little tired,” Longmeier said. “She plays hard, plays defense with purpose, has kids chasing her all over the place and is handling the ball the whole game. It’s hard to play that way for 32 minutes. I thought Kendall was really good tonight.”
Skidmore followed with 10 points, while Brown finished with six points.
Tuesday’s loss ended the high school careers of four seniors: Brown, Sterling, Claire Marshall and Jaidyn Nichols.
“The last loss is always tough because it means someone’s not coming back,” Longmeier said. “For those four, it’s the end to a chapter of their lives. They’re four great kids. We’re going to miss them. I’m excited to see what they do with their lives. They’ll always be a part of this program.”
Floyd Central Sectional
Jennings County 59, Seymour 38
Seymour;10;8;9;11;—;38
Jennings County;12;18;17;12;—;59
Seymour (11-12): Kendall Sterling 8 1-2 17, Sophie Skidmore 3 3-4 10, Journee Brown 2 2-2 6, Kenzie Gagner 1 0-0 3, Claire Marshall 1 0-0 2, Jaidyn Nichols 0 0-0 0, Emmy Munson 0 0-0 0, Kennedy Burnette 0 0-0 0, Abigail Otte 0 0-0 0, Emilee Followell 0 0-0 0, Totals 15 6-8 38.
Jennings County (22-3): Juliann Woodard 12 2-3 28, Mollie Ernstes 4 4-4 14, Alivia Elmore 5 1-2 12, Madelyn McIntosh 1 1-2 3, Avynn Belding 1 0-0 2, Riley Byford 0 0-0 0, Etta Young 0 0-0 0, Alexis Carson 0 0-0 0, Kaydence Lowman 0 0-0 0, Cheyeanna Leslie 0 0-0 0, Addiston Grunden 0 0-0 0, Aridana Maldonado 0 0-0 0, Totals 23 8-11 59.
3-point goals: Seymour 2 (Skidmore, Gagner), Jennings County 5 (Elmore 2, Woodard 2, Ernstes)
Rebounds: Seymour 21 (Skidmore 6, Sterling 4, Brown 3, Marshall 3, Munson 2, Gagner 1, Team 2), Jennings County 19 (Belding 5)
Turnovers: Seymour 14, Jennings County 7
Fouls: Seymour 9, Jennings County 9