Fans of Jonesboro-Hodge, Quitman, Weston, and Saline will need to gas up their vehicles and make plans to hit the road this Thursday – Saturday if they want to see their favorite schools’ girls and boys basketball teams play.
For three out of the four area schools, this Thursday – Saturday equates to “Tournament Time” again as JHHS plays in the Lakeview Tourney, Saline is in the Zwolle Tourney, and Quitman has the shortest distance to travel as they take part in the Neil Kilgore Invitational at Cedar Creek High School in Ruston. Each will play in a “round robin” format. Weston High School is the only local school that is not playing in a tournament, as they will travel to Stanley High School for girls’ and boys’ games on Friday, with action beginning at 5:30 pm.
Lakeview Tourney (JHHS)
Neil Kilgore Invitational (QHS)
Zwolle Tourney (SHS)
Games of Monday, December 8 (Girls)
Weston 39 Castor 34: Kate Keiffer nailed a three-pointer, and Carly Jo Griffin sank a pair of baskets late as Weston scored the last seven points of the game to overcome a two-point Castor lead in the back-and-forth game. With the victory, Weston improves to 8-4 on the year, while Castor fell to 6-7 overall. Both teams made runs early on as Castor jumped out to a 15-4 lead to open the game, only to see Weston take a 13-1 second-quarter advantage to hold a 21-16 lead at the break. Griffin led the Lady Wolves with a season-best 12 points. Gracie Gray and Teegan Hall added 8 and 7 points, respectively, while Ada Claire Tidwell finished with four, and both Carlynn Waters and Kate Keiffer scored three points each. Addison Faulkner also made a basket for WHS.
Choudrant 49 Saline 42 (OT): The Lady Bobcats dropped their second in a row after winning two straight to fall to 6-7 on the year, while Choudrant improved to 10-3. No individual scoring was available.
Games of Tuesday, December 9 (Girls)
Quitman 54 Calvin 53: Anna Claire Leach made three free throws down the stretch to break a 51-51 tie and help the Lady Wolverines stave off a second-half rally by Calvin. The Lady Wolverines bolted to a 34-20 halftime lead, but Calvin, ranked #3 in Class C, made a strong rally in the second half before losing their first game of the year after 12 victories. Quitman improved to 10-4 this season with the impressive victory. Leach led QHS with 16 points, with Allie Robertson adding 14 and Hallie Kate Pullig chipping in with 10 points and a team-best 8 rebounds. Kalisha Hall scored 7, Taylor Borland finished with four points, Sophia Kleibert tallied two, and Kinsley Ponder sank a free throw to round out the scoring for Quitman.
Choudrant 55 jHHS 18: The Lady Tigers lost their seventh straight after opening the season with a victory to all to 1-7 on the year. Choudrant won for the second straight day to improve to 10-4 this season. No individual scoring was available.
Castor 47 Saline 33: The Lady Bobcats fell to 6-8 on the year and saw their losing streak go to a season worst three straight. Castor improved to 6-7. Individual scoring was not available.
Game of Monday, December 8 (Boys)
Castor 69 Weston 48: The Gators jumped out to a 21-8 first-quarter lead and never looked back to saddle Weston with their fifth straight loss that dropped the Wolves to 4-9 on the season. Castor improved to 10-4. The loss put a damper on the effort by Colton Otwell, who scored a season-high 14 points. Brody Tidwell also reached double digits in scoring with 11 points, followed by Ty Henderson and Eli Henderson, both scoring six points. Malachi Harris and Abram Toms finished with four points each, while Jacolby Lowe made a basket and Aiden Faulkner sank a free throw to round out the Wolves’ scoring.
Saline 59 Choudrant 33: Gavin Dailey scored 22 points, and Eli Ferguson chipped in with 14 as Saline evened their record at 6-6 by upending Choudrant, who fell to 10-4 on the year. Conner Roberts added 8 points, Elijah Calloway made 7, and Jackson Bougues nailed a three-pointer for the Bobcats, who also got two points each from Braydon Robinson and Hayden Laborde and a free throw by Jay Nash.
Games of Tuesday, December 9 (Boys)
Quitman 81 Calvin 20: A season-best first-quarter advantage that saw the Wolverines bolt to a 30-2 lead paved the way for the most lopsided win of the season to date. Quitman has now won five games in a row to improve to 9-4 on the year, while Calvin fell to 6-7. Shane Reed and Jack Thomas set new career highs in scoring with 14 and 11 points, as head coach Mike Black emptied his bench to lead to a season-best 12 Wolverines scoring. Taden Thomas also reached double digits with 12 points, while Brayden Smith and Brayden Martin scored 8 and 7 points each in limited action. Asher Schultz had six points, with Abel Leach and Larsen Thomas scoring four points. Eli Jackson tallied three points, and Kaleb Maxwell made a basket. Three more players got in the scoring column for the first time this year, paced by Luke Rowe with 4 points and both Jayden Harts and Mason Howard with 3 points each.
Saline 56 Castor 51: Again, it was the one-two punch of Gavin Dailey and Eli Ferguson who scored 19 and 10 points respectively as Saline beat a 10-win team for the second day in a row to move past the .500 mark at 7-6 on the year. Castor dropped to 10-4. Hayden Laborde chipped in with 7 points, and both Conner Roberts and Jackson Bougues scored six points each. Elijah Calloway finished with five, and Braydon Robinson made a basket for the Bobcats.
Choudrant 61 JHHS 55: The Tigers got closer to securing their first win of the season in four tries, but Choudrant proved to be too strong down the stretch to improve to 10-4 on the year. Individual scoring was not available.
JHMS Takes Two From Union Parish
Jonesboro-Hodge Middle School swept visiting Union Parish on Monday, December 8th, with the boys winning 65-35 and the girls taking a 22-2 victory. Jason McNeil led four Tigers in double figures with 21 points, followed by Levi Martin scoring 14, Quantavius Campbell adding 12, and Addarren Amos scoring 11 points. Kemarion Heard chipped in with four points, and Kyrn Jackson made three to round out the scoring for JHMS.
In the girls’ game, it was a staunch defense by the Lady Tigers that allowed only two points all game that spelled the difference. Jazzeria Ellis led JHMS with 9 points, followed by Aubree Jackson and Jeniah Mays scoring four each, and both Timberly Wilson and Naakyah Jackson tallying two points apiece.