Union County Panthers (Blairsville, GA) backers were in high spirits Saturday as they witnessed their basketball squad tip the visiting Lakeview Academy Lions (Gainesville, GA), 45-40 in a non-league bout.

With the win, Union County upgrades its record to 9-7 on the season. The Panthers host Banks County (Homer, GA) to play the Leopards in a AA Region 8 bout on Tuesday, January 10. The Leopards go into the bout with a record of 15-3. Banks County won 52-41 in their recent non-league bout against Habersham Central (Mt. Airy, GA)

Next up, the Lions play the Bethlehem Christian Academy Knights (Bethlehem, GA) in a GIAA AAAA/AAA District 4 bout, on Friday, January 13. Lakeview Academy will attempt to upgrade on its 7-10 season record. The Knights go into the bout with a 5-7 record after their 36-19 non-league win over Providence Christian Academy (Lilburn, GA).