The Jaguars of J.Z. George flexed their muscles at the East Webster Tournament last weekend as they went 2-1 during the three-day tournament in Cumberland.
The Jaguars, who stand at 6-8 overall, knocked off Pillow Academy and Oak Hill Academy on Saturday and Friday, respectively. J.Z. George lost to the host school on Thursday.
"We've had a tremendous buy-in from the seniors and juniors on the boys team. Considering that we got a late start with the boys, I'm really proud of the hard work they have put in," said J.Z. George first-year coach Torrey Dale. "We didn't shoot the ball well against East Webster, and in the two games against Oak Hill and Pillow, we were able to play a lot of our younger kids and get them some playing experience."
In Saturday's 71-56 win over Pillow, Malik Branch led the way for the Jaguars as he scored a team-high 27 points. J.Z. George held a 16-6 lead after the first period, but the Mustangs outscored the Jags 16-12 in the second quarter to trim the deficit to six at 28-22 by halftime.
The lead stayed at six for the Jaguars as they led 47-41 headed to the fourth period. A 24-15 run in the final eight minutes put the game on ice.
Ceasa Glenn tacked on 12 points for the Jaguars, and Devontae Smith finished with 11. Rodney Catron and Alex Chris had six points each.
The Jaguars picked up a 70-52 victory over Oak Hill in a game that was close for three quarters. The Raiders led 21-17 after one, and the Jags rallied to tie the contest at 27-27 by halftime. J.Z. George took a 42-36 lead by the end of the third.
Kendrick Glover led the Jaguars with 17 points. Deanthony McGlothin had 13 points, and Catron tacked on 11.
In Thursday's 58-44 loss to East Webster, the host school held leads of 11-2 after one, 24-11 at the half and 36-29 after the third.
Branch had 14 points, and Chris Rias and Jordun Normal had 10 points each.
The Lady Jaguars went 0-3 at the tournament. Saturday, they dropped a 72-35 decision to Philadelphia to fall to 2-13 overall.
The Lady Tornadoes led 13-8 after the first period, 37-22 at the half and 63-28 after the third frame.
Tashanda Fleming had 17 points, and Jasmine Newman tacked on nine. Tyeshia Grant had four points.
Friday, Oak Hill beat the Lady Jags 55-28 as it led 10-4 after the first, 23-13 at the half and 44-23 after the third.
Fleming had nine, Newman eight and Grant six for J.Z. George.
The Lady Jags opened the tournament with a 58-28 loss to East Webster, which led 18-5 after the first period, 33-11 at the half and 42-20 after the third.
Grant led the Lady Jags with nine points. Fleming had seven.
J.Z. George visits Amanda Elzy Friday in a Region 3-3A contest. The Lady Panthers are 0-1 in league play, while the Panthers are 1-0 thanks to their 81-65 win over Humphreys County on Dec. 14.
