Basketball Game Preview: Jefferson Academy Jaguars vs. Lamar Thunder + How To Watch

The Jefferson Academy Jaguars will take on the Lamar Thunder in a tournament on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Jefferson Academy was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 58-52 to Frontier Academy.

Jimeto Orji

Points

12/03/25 @ Frontier Academy	34
12/02/25 @ Hinkley	27
03/07/25 vs DSST: Green Valley Ranch	15
02/28/25 vs Middle Park	15
02/27/25 vs Platte Canyon	24
+ 2 more games

Despite the defeat, Jefferson Academy got top-tier performance from Jimeto Orji, who dropped a double-double with 34 points and 16 boards. The contest was Orji's seventh in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Zach Owings, who posted seven points.

Meanwhile, Lamar strolled into their game on Saturday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past University 46-44. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Thunder have posted since January 28th.

Lamar's win came from a few key players Jefferson Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Gabe Jacobs, who went 6-for-12 on his way to 14 points and six rebounds. He has also also been stellar as far as field goal percentage is concerned: he's posted one of at least 50% every time he's hit the court this season. Jacob Dunning was another key player, putting up nine points and four steals.

Jefferson Academy's loss dropped their record down to 1-1. As for Lamar, their record is now 3-0.

Jefferson Academy couldn't quite finish off Lamar in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 and fell 49-46. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Dunning, who shot 50% from the field en route to 25 points and five boards. Now that the Jaguars know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.