Jonesboro-Hodge beat Oakdale 80-71 on Tuesday in the second round of the LHSAA Class AA boys basketball playoffs to advance to the Quarterfinals where they will travel to top ranked Lakeview for a 7:00pm matchup this Friday. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at Jonesboro-Hodge for $10.00 each. With the victory, the 9th seeded Tigers improved to 19-7 while district 5-2A champion and 8th seeded Oakdale ends the year with a 23-8 record.
It doesn’t matter the sport or when it takes place, there is something about playing Oakdale in the playoffs that just brings out the best in Jonesboro-Hodge. Back in November the Tiger football team ran roughshod over the Warriors, scoring the second most points in a game all season. Moving inside from the gridiron to the hardwood floor, once again, the Tigers racked up the second highest point total of the season. It also marks the most the Tiger round ballers have scored in the playoffs in since 2019 when the played…. You guessed it – Oakdale!
Playing Oakdale also brought out the best in Cameron Joe. The 6’4″ senior entered the second-round affair averaging just 5.5 points per game. He passed that up in the first quarter as his seven points paced the Tigers to what turned out to be a difference making 23-13 lead. Savantez Phillips and Justin Calahan also played a big role in earning the early advantage by scoring five each.
Joe and Calahan, who led JHHS in scoring on the night with 22 and 20 points respectively were instrumental in helping the Tigers take as 42-31 lead into the break as Joe added four more and Calahan went off for nine that included a three-point bomb.
Oakdale still could not find a way to stop Joe in the second half as he scored six in the third and five in the fourth for a tremendously consistent and productive effort where he made at least two baskets in every quarter. Ajay Tew stepped up in the second half as well to help keep Oakdale at bay by draining a trey and a basket in the third quarter and coming up clutch late with four straight free throws when the Warriors tried to rally by fouling. Zion Gray tied Tew with 9 points in the contest with Tydre Malone adding seven.
NEXT UP! The Tigers now will get a chance to turn the LHSAA Class AA bracket upside down by knocking off the top ranked Gators. It will take a supreme effort to push past the district 3-2A champion, who finished the regular season with a 26-4 record. Three of the four Gator losses came against Class 5A Northshore, who upset Captain Shreve to advance to the Quarterfinals and a pair of Class 4A north Louisiana powers in Booker T. Washington (Shreve) and Woodlawn (Shreve). The other defeat came in district play at the hands of Red River.
The two teams are no strangers to each other as they have played at least once a year since 2016 and up until a few years ago were district foes. In the last five games Lakeview has had the upper hand by a 4-1 margin but the Tigers won the last meeting last year.
| #9 Jonesboro-Hodge (19-6) | 23 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 80 |
| #8 Oakdale (23-8) | 13 | 18 | 17 | 23 | 71 |
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