Basketball Recap: J.H. Rose Comes Up Short

J.H. Rose lost against Jacksonville last Wednesday, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Monday. The J.H. Rose Rampants came up short against the Jacksonville Cardinals, falling 70-44. While losing is never fun, the Rampants can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 348th, while the Cardinals are ranked 80th).

Despite the defeat, J.H. Rose saw an underclassman step up: freshman Alaya Clemons posted 17 points. That was a full 38.6% of J.H. Rose's points, marking the third time in a row Clemons has scored more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Michelle Jenkins, who had six points and ten rebounds.

Leading Jacksonville to victory were Izabella Hernandez and Kelize Velez-Galan. Hernandez put up 27 points, while Velez-Galan almost dropped a double-double with 20 points and nine boards. What's more, Hernandez also posted a 67% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest she's achieved since back in February of 2024. Destiny Holmes also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.

J.H. Rose has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-16 record this season. The win was the third in a row for Jacksonville, bringing their record for this year to 17-6.

J.H. Rose didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, an 80-45 loss against Fike on the 25th. As for Jacksonville, they have also already played their next game, a 67-46 victory against E.E. Smith on the 25th.