Basketball Recap: Mackenzie Donald's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Johnson over Brandeis

Johnson was the 65-55 winner over Brandeis when they last played one another back in December of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Johnson Jaguars fell just short of the Brandeis Broncos by a score of 48-45 on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Jaguars have suffered against the Broncos since December 21, 2021.

Johnson's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mackenzie Donald, who went 7 of 17 en route to 17 points. Another player making a difference was Jera Salters, who posted six points and 14 rebounds.

Jaguars

Previous 3 Games

01/22/25 @ Brandeis	45-48
01/17/25 @ Clark	44-50
01/15/25 vs Churchill	47-49

Even though they lost, Johnson smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive contests.

Mia Ramos continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for Brandeis, going 7 for 12 on her way to 20 points and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Ramos has scored at least a third of Brandeis' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Vivian Byerly, who scored 11 points.

Johnson's defeat dropped their record down to 20-11. As for Brandeis, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a massive bump to their 14-16 record this season.

Johnson wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 72-16 victory against SA Roosevelt on the 24th. Brandeis has also already played their next contest, a 61-52 win against LEE on the 24th.