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Despite a late surge, Polk County’s boys varsity basketball team came up short Friday in a closely-contested Mountain Foothills 7 Conference matchup on Friday, falling to Patton 82-77 in Morganton.

The game featured a series of scoring swings, particularly in a pivotal third quarter where the Panthers outscored the Wolverines 26-11. Patton (7-11, 4-3) used a strong first quarter to set the tone, building a nine-point lead, but Polk County responded with a 26-point second quarter to cut the deficit to two points at halftime.

Although the Wolverines mounted a 25-point fourth-quarter comeback, the Panthers held on to secure the league victory.

Aaron Jackson led the Wolverines (3-13, 1-6) with 26 points. Khristian Littlejohn added 24 points, including a flawless 12-of-12 effort from the free-throw line, while Chase Stansbury contributed 10 points. Dallas Littlejohn finished with nine points, with Jayce Edwards scoring six and Luke Garrison adding two.

Polk County was set to host Hendersonville on Tuesday at 8 p.m.