The Jefferson Cougars put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 72-70 win over West Philadelphia. Given Jefferson's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked fifth in West Virginia, while West Philadelphia is ranked 354th in Pennsylvania), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jaiden Gladney was his usual excellent self, scoring 29 points along with five assists and three steals. Those 29 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Tay?shaun Roper, who scored eight points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Jefferson's win bumped their record up to 9-0. As for West Philadelphia, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-8 record this season.
Jefferson will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Martinsburg at 7:30 p.m. on January 2nd. As for West Philadelphia, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Math Civics & Sciences at 4:30 p.m. One thing working in Math Civics & Sciences' favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four matches.
