On February 6th, another major milestone in area high school athletics was achieved when became the third Quitman High School and 5th area basketball player to join the “1000 Career Point Club” this season.
Martin joins fellow QHS basketball players Anna Claire Leach and Brayden Smith, along with Gavin Dailey and Eli Ferguson of Saline High School, to set a new record of most area players to break the 1000 career point barrier in one season.
JHMS Boys Basketball Earns Quarterfinal Berth at Junior High State Tournament
A tremendously productive season for the Jonesboro-Hodge Middle School Cubs came to an end on Saturday, February 7th, in the Quarterfinals of the Louisiana State Junior High Tournament played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum on the campus of the University of Louisiana – Monroe (ULM).
The Cubs advanced to the Quarterfinal round against Southfield of Shreveport by downing Crowville Junior High in the opening round of the eight-team tourney.
Leading the Cubs in scoring in the quarterfinal contest for JHMS was Quantavious Campbell with 5 points. Levi Martin and Kayden Malone both had 3 points while Jason McNeil, Corey Campbell, and Aiden Watkin all made two points apiece.
In the first round of the tournament, JHMS beat Crowville 41-31 paced by 19 points from Corey Campbell. Also contributing was Jason McNeil and Levi Martin with 7 points apiece and 3 points by Graylon Hendricks and Carter Sanders. Rounding out the scoring was Quantavious Campbell and Kamarian Thompson with 2 points each and Leeland Anderson hitting a free throw.
Under the tutelage of head coach Carlos Hicks, the Cubs ended the regular season with a solid 6-2 record that included posting a five game winning streak where JHMS won by 20 or more points in each game.
Taden Thomas and Ella Simonelli of QHS Qualify for State 3 Point Shooting Contest
The Quitman High School girls and boys basketball teams are hoping to qualify for the upcoming state tournament. If they do so, they will join a pair of QHS hoopsters, Taden Thomas and Ella Simonelli, who have already earned the right to participate in state competition.
The pair of Quitman sharpshooters will participate in the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association (LHSBCA) State 3-Point Shooting Championship after being declared champions of the Northeast Louisiana 3-Point Shooting Contest that was held at Cedar Creek High School on February 7th.
The competition round for the state title will be held on March 21st during halftime of the LHSAA All-Star game that will be played in the Legacy Center on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA.
Area Preps To Put Finishing Touches on District Schedules
With area high school girls and boys basketball teams forced to scramble to make adjustments to the season schedule as a result of the ice storm that plaqued north Louisiana last week, contests are slated to be played every day beginning on Wednesday, February 11th, through Saturday, February 14th.
Included are several schools looking at contests with serious district championship ramifications, including the JHHS girls in District 1-1A, both Quitman squads in 1B competition, the Lady Wolves of Weston, and the girls team from Saline.
Wednesday, February 11th – The action begins when Jonesboro-Hodge (13-15, 3-1) entertains the Division IV 3rd-ranked team and district 1-1A leader Arcadia (19-6, 5-0), where a victory by the Lady Tigers will vault them into a tie for first place in the loss column. The boys contest will follow, pitting JHHS, who has won their last two district games to move to 2-2 in 1-1A play and 6-20 overall, hosting the co-district leader Hornets, which comes in with a 5-0 record in district play and sits at 11-9 overall.
Thursday, February 12th – District 1B battles take center stage with both the Quitman High girls and boys looking to draw closer to district titles with a victory against new district member Providence Classical Academy out of Bossier City. With both squads sitting at 3-0 in district play, a victory secures at least a tie for the title. Also of note is that if the Lady Wolverines win, it will improve their record to 20-7, giving both QHS teams 20-win seasons as the Wolverines are already at 21-4 on the year.
Weston High School will travel to Castor, where the Lady Wolves will look to remain perfect for the month of February and become a 20-game winner in head coach Matt Herring’s first season. Seeking their 7th straight victory, WHS enters with a fine 19-10 overall record, and a 2-2 mark in District 1B play.
Friday, February 13th – It’s winner take all when Saline travels to Summerfield where both girls teams enter with a 2-0 district mark. The contest is important for the Bobcat boys (19-11, 1-1) as well as SHS, looks to protect its #4 ranking in Class C and give Saline home games in the playoffs leading up to the state tournament.
QHS hopes to ride the coattails of Thursday wins to victory on Firday at Castor which would secure the outright district title for both the girls and boys teams. Meanwhile, JHHS will make the short trip to Cedar Creek to keep the momentum going of late season winning streaks.
Saturday, February 14th – Jonesboro-Hodge hopes the holiday date shows much love to their late season playoff pushes. With a victory on Friday and another against Haynesville on Valentine’s Day, the Tigers (6-20, 2-2), who have won a season-best 3 of their last 4, have an outside shot at sneaking into the 28-team Division IV bracket after seemingly being helplessly out of contention just a week ago. If the Lady Tigers win their games on Wednesday and Friday, then JHHS will be playing to share the District 1-1A title and possibly secure a first round home playoff game.
Area girls and boys basketball teams go a perfect 7-0 in Tuesday tilts
The beginning of the week couldn’t have hardly started any better for the area high school girls and boys basketball teams as combined JHHS, Quitman, Saline and Weston won all 7 games played, with only the Saline boys not being in action.
JHHS 51 Glenbrook 8 (girls): For the first time since December 2023, the Lady Tigers held an opponent under 10 points to hold steady to their 17th rating, heading into the busy week ahead. With Samone Mallard, Nesha Johnson and Jalenya Jackson scoring 14, 13 and 12 points respectively JHHS won their 2nd in the last 3 and 4th of the last 6th to keep hopes of a District 1-1A title alive.
Quitman 53 Choudrant 50 (girls): In the battle between 7th and 8th-rated teams in Class B, the Lady Wolverines used the clutch free-throw shooting of Anna Claire Leach down the stretch to help lift QHS from a 43-42 deficit. Leach, who entered the contest averaging 15.2 points per game, doubled her season average by posting a season-tying best 30 points in the game that pitted the District 2B champion and prospective 1B title winner. Allie Robertso, who also scored a key late basket, chipped in with 7 points, while Hallie Kate Pullig scored 5, and both Kinsley Ponder and Emma Walker finished with four points each. Taylor Borland also tallied 3 points to round out the scoring.
Weston 63 Dodson 30 (girls): The late-season surge continued for the Lady Wolves, who scored over 50 points in their season best 6th straight game to claim their 2nd victory in 7 days over the neighboring parish foe. Rachel Bandy powered the offensive attack with a season second best total of 19 points with Kate Keiffer chipping in with 14 points. Carlynn Waters added 9, Ada Claire Tidwell scored 7 and both Carly Jo Griffin and Gracie Gray finished with 5 points each. Teegan Hall and Mallory Malone also scored a basket each.
Saline 42 Stanley 36 (girls): A 20-9 first-half advantage held up as Saline kept their #8 rating in Class C in place with the road victory. Morgan Cheatwood led the Lady Bobcats in scoring with 17 points, with Kasidy Sims also reaching “double-digits” in scoring with 12. Rayaunnah Pearson scored 6, Ally Kate Hillman finished with 4 points, Lanee Cheatwood hit a basket, and Tyla Malone added a free throw for Saline, who has now posted a season-best four-game winning streak.
JHHS 61 Glenbrook 58 (boys): The youthful Tigers seem to have started to traverse the learning curve young teams always go through as JHHS won their second district 1-1A contest in a row and claimed victory for the third time in the last four games. It was a decisive 50-30 second-half advantage fueled by a season-best 32-point third-quarter effort that lifted the Tigers, who trailed 29-21 at the half. King Campbell led JHHS in scoring with 17 points, with JaQuan Qualls and Channing Gray Jr. also both reaching “double-digits” with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Dylan Hayes added 9, and both Lon’Trevious Burns and Kodan Atkins finished with 4 points each.
Quitman 67 Choudrant 53 (boys): The Wolverines ran their winning streak to 17 straight, the best in Michael Black’s six-year tenure and longest since Quitman won 30 in a row in the 2006-07 season. It was an 18-6 first-quarter advantage that spelled the difference as Taden Thomas scored 23 to lead the charge. Shane Reed and Abel Leach chipped in with 12 and 11 points apiece, while the newest member of the 1000 career point club, Brayden Martin, netted nine. Brayden Smith, Kaleb Maxwell, and Asher Schultz all scored four points each.
Weston 66 Dodson 26 (boys): The Wolves equaled their win total from a season ago with their fourth overall and second victory over the Winn Parish squad in the last seven days. Gunner Younse scored 12 points to lead a season best 14 players who tallied points.Cole Otwell, Ty Henderson and Malachi Harris all posted 7 points each while Dawson Griffin scored a season high 6 points. Aiden Faulkner finished with 5 and both Jacolby Lowe and A.J. Woodard had four points each, the latter reaching a new season high in scoring. Brody Tidwell, Hunter Donaldson and Colton Otwell tallied 3 points each, Leyton Younse and Abram Toms hit a basket each and Cason Conn sank a free throw.
The improbable dreams of an undefeated season for both the Quitman and Weston baseball teams went by the wayside in the season openers against schools from higher classifications, as Weston fell to Division II Brusly 12-0 and Quitman fell to Division III Calvary Baptist 9-2.
Brusly 12 Weston 0: The defending Division II runner-up among “non-select” schools scored at least one run in every inning on the way to proving to be every bit as strong this season. South Arkansas College commit, Drew Browning, gained the only Wolves hit of the contest with a fourth-inning single.
Calvary Baptist 9 Quitman 2: In the battle between state tournament quarterfinalists from a year ago in their respective divisions, an early six-run deficit proved to be too much for the Wolverines to overcome. Trailing 6-0, QHS scored twice in the bottom of the third inning when Kace West doubled home Conner Moak, who had reached on a walk, and Hudson Pullig, who got hit by a pitch, scored on a Tucker Newton grounder that was misplayed.
UP NEXT: Quitman will play St. Mary’s of Natchitoches on Friday, and both Ebard and Zwolle on Saturday at the Many Invitational. Meanwhile, Weston will play three games in three days, all on the road, as they will face Mangham on Thursday, Ouachita Parish on Friday, and Downsville Charter on Saturday. Jonesboro-Hodge will open its 2026 season on Thursday with a District 1-1A contest at Plain Dealing.
Quitman Jamboree Slated for Saturday
Quitman High School will host a three-team season-opening Jamboree on Saturday, February 14th at the Lady Wolverines home field on the QHS campus.
The action will start at 4:00 pm when Quitman will host Choudrant, followed by Choudrant and D’Arbonne Woods playing at 5:00 pm and the Lady Wolverines taking on D’Arbonne Woods in the finale, slated to begin at 6:00 pm. Entry fee will be $6.00 per person with concessions available.
