Columbus hasn't had much luck at home recently (they'd lost four straight ) but thanks in part to Jaireus Johnson that streak is no more. The Blue Devils came out on top in a nail-biter against the Kendrick Cherokees on Friday, sneaking past 54-52 for which the team can thank Johnson, who shot 4-for-6 from deep and dropped a double-double with 32 points and 12 rebounds. He has become a key player for Columbus: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least 25 points, but 4-15 otherwise.

Luke Moody
| 01/30/26 vs Kendrick | 5 |
| 01/27/26 vs Hardaway | 4 |
| 01/16/26 vs Spencer | 3 |
| 01/13/26 vs Shaw | 2 |
| 01/10/26 vs Jordan | 5 |
| + 10 more games |
The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Moody, who posted five points. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played.
Kendrick lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Noah Harris, who went 7-for-9 on his way to 17 points and five boards. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Revel Edwards, who shot 40% from the field en route to 12 points in addition to seven assists and three steals.
Columbus' victory bumped their record up to 6-16. As for Kendrick, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-7.
Columbus didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 49-29 win against Jordan on the 31st. As for Kendrick, they have also already played their next game, a 64-52 loss against Sumter County on the 31st.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps