Alivia Elmore
NORTH VERNON — Class 4A No. 7 Jennings County won this year’s first battle of Hoosier Hills Conference girls basketball powerhouses, rolling to a 58-41 win against 4A No. 6 Bedford North Lawrence on Wednesday.
The Panthers (15-2, 4-0) led from start to finish in snapping a 25-game losing streak to the Stars. Jennings led 48-23 after three quarters.
After leading 14-8 at the end of the first quarter, the Panthers led only 16-14 early in the second when Alivia Elmore, Maddy McIntosh and Mollie Ernstes hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 15-0 run that put Jennings in control.
Elmore led the Panthers with 15 points. Juliann Woodard added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Ernstes also finished with 15 points.
Chloe Spreen, an Alabama recruit who led BNL to last year’s Class 4A state title, scored the Stars’ first 14 points and finished with a game-high 26.
The victory establishes Jennings as the favorite for the Floyd Central Sectional, where it could face BNL again.
