By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- Daily Staff Writer

WOODSTOCK — Ashley Jernigan was a little uneasy as a freshman on the varsity team last season. With a year of experience under her belt, the Central guard has gained confidence and it was evident on Thursday night.

The sophomore hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter to give Central a big lead and sealed a 42-39 win over Stonewall Jackson with two critical free throws in the final seconds.

"She's not playing like a sophomore, she's playing like a veteran senior," Central coach Stephanie Mathews said. "I think last year really helped her. She has worked hard all spring, summer and fall."

With the Falcons clinging to a 40-39 lead with 6.8 seconds left, Jernigan was fouled and sent to the free-throw line.

"In the past I have struggled with making free throws under pressure," Jernigan said. "I just told myself I got to make these foul shots. I knew we really needed them."

Jernigan, who finished with a team-high 14 points, calmly sank both and the Generals were unable to get off a 3-point attempt in the final seconds to give Central its first win of the season.

The Falcons (1-2) appeared to take control of the game in the third quarter. Central was able to hang with Stonewall Jackson's strong inside game throughout the first half, led by six points from junior center Brea Hinegardner, and built a 20-14 halftime lead. Mathews said that enabled Central's guards to get some open looks from outside in the third quarter.

Jernigan and Kelsey Bowman hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the period and stretch the lead to 26-14. Stonewall Jackson senior Molly Beall converted a conventional three-point play to cut the lead to 26-17, but the Falcons continued their 3-point barrage.

Ashley Ebersole and Jernigan hit back-to-back 3s and a Jernigan layup gave Central a 36-17 lead with 2:32 left in the third quarter.

"We just came out really pumped up in the third quarter," Jernigan said. "In our last game against Strasburg the third quarter really killed us, so we didn't want to let that happen again. We came out with a lot of intensity. We started hitting 3s — it was exciting."

The Generals (0-2) came back courtesy of the inside play of Jessica Richardson and a couple of 3s by Heather Stout. Stonewall Jackson used a 16-0 run which bridged the third and fourth quarters to cut the lead to 36-33 with 6:22 left in the game.

"We started playing with a lot more passion and heart," Stonewall Jackson coach Jeff Burner said. "I thought they out-hustled us most of the game. I thought the last quarter-and-a-half we matched their intensity, but it took us until then to do it."

With the lead slipping away, Mathews said she told her team to pass the ball around until they got a really good look at the basket. After passing it around for approximately a minute, Central sophomore Kasey McDonald got a wide open 3-pointer and nailed it to give the Falcons a 39-33 lead with 2:30 left in the game.

"I probably shouldn't have took it," McDonald said. "I'm just used to shooting it when I'm wide open like that. I'm glad I hit it. It felt good."

Richardson, who finished with a game-high 20 points and six rebounds, hit back-to-back baskets inside, but the Falcons made enough free throws down the stretch. McDonald finished with 6 points, three rebounds and two steals, and Ebersole had 6 points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals for the Falcons.

"It's a great feeling" Mathews said. "It's always nice to beat a county rival. They're a great team with really good post play. We don't have a huge inside presence, so to get by against that is really good for us. It's a big win."

Added McDonald: "This gives us a lot of confidence. We can really build off of this."

*Contact Tommy Keeler at tkeeler@nvdaily.com

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