The Thomas Jefferson Gryphons waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with ten straight wins but they left with 11. They took down Burns 49-32. Given Thomas Jefferson's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 169th, while Burns is ranked 395th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Thomas Jefferson to victory were Samara Jones and Breasia Ussery. Jones scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks, while Ussery scored nine points along with four steals. Brooklyn Twitty was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 14 points and 25 rebounds.
Several Bulldogs players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Kaylee Greene, who scored 17 points along with four steals. Greene has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last eight times she's played. Another player making a difference was Maggie Earl, who scored six points along with 12 rebounds and six steals.
Thomas Jefferson's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Burns, they now have a losing record at 10-11.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Thomas Jefferson will take on Shelby at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Thomas Jefferson focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 13 on Tuesday. As for Burns, they will head out on the road to take on Bessemer City at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. That game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Kionna Pettus and Greene.
