MONTICELLO, Ga. – Tuesday marked a rough night for the Social Circle Redskin basketball programs, as they fell to region foe Jasper County on the road.
Despite a late fourth quarter comeback, the Lady Redskins fell to the Lady Hurricanes in a 64-57 defeat.
The opposite could be said about the boys team, as they stayed close with the Hurricanes for much of the first three quarters. But it was the final quarter that proved to be the difference maker as Jasper County secured the sweep with a 54-40 victory.
Lady Redskins continue losing streak on the road
Early strikes from sophomore Brielle Price and senior Jada Hyman kept the Lady ‘Skins competitive early, with both teams sitting at 12 apiece to end the first quarter.
A 6-0 run in the first few minutes of the second frame gave the Lady Canes some much needed momentum that would redefine the game. While Price and Hyman continued to add buckets for the Lady ‘Skins, it was Lady Canes freshman Jazmin Maddox that took over the game, leading the Lady Canes to a 34-23 lead at halftime.
The Lady ‘Skins rallied to bring the game within four points with 2:00 to go in the third frame, but still trailed thanks to Maddox’s shining performance. A buzzer-beater for the logo was converted by Price to close out the quarter, but was ruled no good by the referees, giving the Lady Canes a 45-38 lead heading into the final quarter.
Price and Hyman continued to keep the Lady ‘Skins in the game, trimming down the lead to 47-46 midway through the quarter. But a scoring run from the Lady Canes’ Maddox, Selena Harvey and Kam Davis put the game out of reach, giving Jasper County the 64-57 victory.
Maddox led all scorers with 32 points for the Lady Canes, while Hyman led Social Circle with 19.
Redskins fail to garner offensive momentum in loss
Social Circle kept things competitive early, exchanging the lead with the Hurricanes throughout the midpoint of the first quarter. Contributions from Derrick White, Diesel Nelson, Ean Mulkey and Tykeieryon Green held the ‘Skins within four to end the first quarter.
The Canes took charge in the early portion of the second frame, with scores from KD Davis, JT Thomas and Tyshawn Reeves. After trailing 21-12 with just over 3:00 to play, the seniors White and Jameccus Hardge put together a 6-0 scoring run to bring the game within three at 18-21 to close out the half.
Jasper County scored the first few buckets to start the third quarter, but White and Green continued to keep the game in reach. But ultimately, the momentum fizzled out for Social Circle as they only scored nine points in the entire fourth quarter as opposed to Jasper County’s 20.
Jasper County would take command and not look back, scoring the 56-40 victory to improve to 10-10.
It was a tough night offensively as the ‘Skins were held to their third lowest point total all season. White finished the game leading Social Circle with 13, while Thomas led all scorers with 21 for the Canes.
Social Circle also failed to convert from three-point range throughout the entire night, something that is rare in high school play.
Coaches comments
Following the conclusion of both contests head coach Norman Jones spoke to The Covington News about the pair of losses. Jones boiled down the outcomes to a simple matter.
“They wanted it more,” Jones said. “They executed better at the end [of both games] and that’s why they won.”
For the Lady Redskins, the loss was a continuation of a two-week losing streak. Including the loss to Jasper County, the Lady ‘Skins lost the following night to Southwest Atlanta Christian in a 62-33 defeat, bringing the losing streak to five in a row.
The Lady Redskins currently sit at 10-11, and 8th in region play at 1-4.
“We’re just working on trying to put it all together,” Jones said. “I think with the girls it’s more about confidence and believing that they can win these games.”
In looking at the boys' loss to Jasper County, Jones emphasized the need to finish games and limit turnovers.
“I think tonight [Tuesday night] we had more turnovers than we had in the last six games,” Jones said.
But on the positive side, Jones said that the team is playing much better as a unit than earlier in the season.
“We’re playing much better team basketball,” Jones said. “We just gotta finish man.”
Fortunately for Jones’ squad, the Redskins did finish strong against Southwest Atlanta Christian in a 58-51 victory. They now sit at 12-10 and 5th in region play at 4-2 with region tournaments on the horizon.
