The Jonesboro-Hodge boys and girls basketball teams closed the 2022 portion of the season by getting a split in their contests against Lincoln Prep and Arcadia. Both contests against Lincoln Prep on Thursday ended 59-52 with the girls turning in their best performance of the year to defend the home court while the boys faltered late after leading 31-24 at the half. On the road against Arcadia the next night the boys ran roughshod over their Bienville Parish neighbors by a 58-32 margin while the girls got doubled up 60-30.

Thursday, December 29th

JHHS 59 Lincoln Prep 52 (girls): In the contest where a combined total of 45 fouls were called and 64 free throws were shot, the Lady Tigers made 11 of 12 charity shots down the stretch to pull away for the win. Four players reached double figures in scoring for the first time this season with Morgan McGee leading the way with 15. Tyya Davis added 12, Jalenya Jackson scored 11 and LeRonda McGuire tallied 10, while A’Joriana Hoggro chipped in with seven and McKenzie Bradford finished with four for JHHS who won for the fourth time in the last six games after dropping the first five of the year. Wright and Green both scored 16 to lead Lincoln Prep who was left still searching for their first victory of the season after twelve contests.
JHHS (4-8) 13 14 12 20 – 59
LPHS (0-12) 13 9 14 16 – 52
JHHS scoring: McGee 15, Davis 12, Jackson 11, McGuire 10, Hoggro 7, Bradford 4
LPHS scoring: Wright 16, Green 16, Hampton 12, S. Spann 4, J. Spann 3 Cotton 1

Lincoln Prep 59 JHHS 52 (boys) After making one of ten free throws over the first three quarters, Lincoln Prep connected on 16 of 19 charity shots in the fourth quarter alone to rally for the victory. Early on it looked like an easy victory for the home-standing Tigers as they jumped out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter and led 31-24 at the break. The fourth quarter belonged to L-Prep though who entered the final frame still trailing by a 39-36 margin but outscored the Tigers 28-13 in the final frame.
Zion Gray led the Tigers in scoring with 11 points while Savantez Phillips added ten. Ajay Tew and Cameron Leonard both scored eight and Jarrius Lumpkin chipped in five. Edward Beard and Jaylin Barnes finished with four each and Symeon Malone hit a basket to round out the scoring for J-H who dropped their fourth straight to fall to 4-6 on the year. Lincoln Prep won their seventh straight to improve to 9-3 on the season and protect their #4 ranking among Division IV “select” schools.
JHHS (4-6) 14 17 8 13 – 52
LPHS (9-3) 4 20 12 28 – 59
JHHS scoring: Gray 11, Phillips 10, Tew 8, Leonard 8, Lumpkin 5, Beard 4, Barnes 4, Malone 2
LPHS scoring: Mayfield 15, Heard 14, Burks 14, Mack 11, Spann 3, Young 2

Friday, December 30th

Arcadia 60 JHHS 30 (Girls): The 10th-ranked Lady Hornets continued their late-year run by opening a big lead early and coasting in for their sixth victory in their last seven games to end 2022 with a 12-6 record. Morgan McGee’s 9 points were a bright spot in an otherwise dismal night for the Lady Tigers who fell to 4-9 on the year. No additional information was available on the contest.
JHHS 58 Arcadia 32 (Boys) By turning in their best defensive performance of the season that limited Arcadia to single digits in three of the four quarters played, JHHS put an end to their four-game skid and entered the 2023 portion of the schedule on a positive note. Savantez Phillips and Ajay Tew turned in a “double-double” performance while setting new season highs. Phillip led JHHS in scoring with a season-best 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Ajay Tew added 13 points and a season-high 10 assists. Zion Gray chipped in with 12 points, Jarrius Lumpkin added eight while Symeon Malone, Edward Beard, and Cameron Leonard finished with four, two, and one points respectively. Arcadia dropped to 6-8 on the season.
JHHS (5-6) 13 23 12 10 – 58
AHS (6-8)    5  9   10  8 – 32
JHHS scoring: Phillips 18, Tew 13, Gray 12, Lumpkin 8, Malone 4, Beard 2, Leonard 1
AHS scoring: Crowley 13, Jackson 7, Davis 5, Crane 2, Crane 1, Pringle 1

Upcoming Area Prep Schedule

Three of the four area schools in the Jackson Parish Journal coverage area will open the new year on the road on Tuesday and all three will be “playing up.” JHHS travels to Monroe to face Class 4A Neville, while Quitman ventures to Natchitoches to play Class A St. Mary’s. Saline also will trek to Monroe to face Class A Ouachita Christian.

Tuesday, Jan. 3
JHHS at Neville
Quitman at St. Mary’s
Saline at Ouachita Christian