Basketball Recap: Jefferson Comes Up Short

Jefferson was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They took a 61-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Belvidere Bucs. While losing is never fun, the J-Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 499th, while the Bucs are ranked 224th).

When it comes to explaining why Jefferson lost, don't look at Abbie Bracius. Despite the final result, she posted 19 points. Another player making a difference was Jazleen Bautista, who earned ten points.

It was another big night for Emma Pierson, who went 13 of 23 on her way to 29 points in addition to seven rebounds and six assists for Belvidere. That's the most assists Pierson has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Arianna Labeau, who scored 18 points along with seven boards and six assists.

Jefferson's defeat dropped their record down to 3-23. As for Belvidere, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 16-9.

Jefferson has already played their next match, a 59-38 loss against Glenbard North on the 1st. As for Belvidere, they will square off against Belvidere North at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Belvidere is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 61.1 points per game this season.