By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
SAND ROCK – Spring Garden senior guard/forward Maggie Jarrett hasn’t been known as a 3-point sharpshooter in the past, but she’s turning into a deadly weapon around the arc of late.
On Friday evening against Sand Rock, Jarrett sank five treys, all in the first half. She finished with a game-high 21 points in leading the Class 1A top-ranked Lady Panthers to a 63-20 victory.
“The last five games I think she’s hit 22 threes,” Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin said. “She was smoking them in Tennessee (at the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies’ Classic). She shot the ball at a high level in that tournament. She was sick yesterday (Thursday against Faith Christian). We didn’t think she was going to get to play, but she showed up at the game and was still on fire (with four treys). I didn’t play her in the second half. I said ‘Save some of those for (Friday) night.’”
And Jarrett did.
“It’s hard coming in knowing you’re going to have to adjust your scoring preferences,” said Jarrett, who also had four rebounds, two blocks and a steal against Sand Rock (12-5). “In the gym, I like to work on my shot form, making sure my shots are looking the same. It’s been some big shoes to fill (from Libby Brown). Coming in just knowing that I needed to be that kind of player and to produce that kind of shot, it’s a good feeling knowing all the work you put in for it.”
Jarrett also credits senior point guard and Alabama signee Ace Austin for her newfound 3-point stroke.
“Ace is a very big part of why I have the shots that I have. She’s so good at ball control and seeing the floor. If I’m open, she’ll give me the ball and we’ll go from there.”
Jarrett’s performance isn’t the only thing that stood out on Friday night at Sand Rock for the Lady Panthers. Their defense was suffocating. No Sand Rock player reached double figures. The Class 2A No. 5 Lady Wildcats were led by Macey Pruitt’s seven points and four rebounds.
Spring Garden went on a 9-0 run to begin the game on 3-pointers by Jarrett, Montana Highfield and Ace Austin. The Lady Panthers led 21-4 by quarter’s end and they built a 43-10 edge at halftime.
Both Jarrett and Coach Austin credit the tournament in Greeneville, Tenn., over Christmas break for that performance. They suffered their only loss of the season to Webb School of Knoxville 53-43, but ended up finishing in third place.
“Coming from the tournament in Tennessee, when we had to step up our defense even more, to be able to bring that same defense we had up there has really helped us,” Jarrett said. “That tournament was really big for us. The teams we played were really good. I think it proved we can come out of our comfort zone and play the way we should and need to play to win.”
“That’s the most competition, high-level tournament I’ve ever carried a high school team to play in, and we played well,” Coach Austin added. “I really thought we might play pretty good and lose all four games there. It was that type of competition. We had a couple of times where we were challenged a little, and that’s the challenge we had when we left there. We don’t take a step backward from that (tournament). It’s mostly defense we’ve talked about. Let’s bring this every night.
“That’s really all we talked about today. As soon as we got in the gym at shoot around today, I called everybody to the middle (of the court) and said ‘Here’s the defensive game plan.’ I did not walk them through it. I told them we’re doing this, this and this, and I asked ‘Has everybody got it?’ They said ‘We’ve got it.’ I said bring it, and that’s what I saw. I’m very proud of our defense tonight, but I’m also proud of how Maggie is playing as well.”
Ace Austin added 17 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks for the Lady Panthers. Avery Steward added nine points on three treys along with two rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Highfield finished with seven points, eight boards and an assist.
Another challenge awaits Spring Garden on Saturday at 4 p.m., when Class 6A Oxford pays a visit. The Lady Panthers defeated Oxford 74-51 on the road back on Dec. 13. Sand Rock hosts area rival Cedar Bluff on Tuesday.
