J.Z. George first-year head coach Le'Quell Allen is hopeful his two teams are ready to turn the corner as December's portion of the schedule gets started.
The Lady Jaguars and Jaguars both played at Kosciusko High School Tuesday night. The girls went into that contest with a 2-6 record, while the boys are 3-5 overall.
The girls started the season 0-5 before finally breaking through in the win column with a 44-20 win over Noxapater in the J.Z. George Tournament. They followed that up with a 44-24 triumph over Nanih Waiya, but dropped a 44-35 decision to McAdams on Nov. 22.
"The girls have yet to play a full four quarters. We have spurts where we play well, but then we will have a letdown with intensity. They are growing with each game, but there is still a lot to learn," said Allen.
The Lady Jags are led by their three seniors — Tashanda Fleming, Jasmine Newman and Tyeshia Grant.
Friday at 4:30 p.m., the girls take on Philadelphia in the East Webster Shootout in Maben.
The Jaguars have shown signs of coming around after Allen got all his players in from the football team. They started the season 0-3 but have gone 3-2 in their last five games.
J.Z. George beat Amanda Elzy 56-49, lost to Kosciusko 50-41, defeated Noxapater 66-19, topped Nanih Waiya 68-57 and lost to McAdams 60-56.
"I have found out a lot about these guys since I've had them," said Allen. "There was a lot of things they didn't understand about playing defense. I will say they have been receptive to learning and working hard in the gym. We've lost a few games we shouldn't have lost, which I hope we have learned from."
The Jags only have two seniors — Malik Branch and Latadiyis Catron — on a roster that includes six sophomores and five freshmen. There are also two juniors on the team.
