The Jones Trojans fought the good fight in their overtime contest against the Liberty Christian Academy Heat on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Heat by a score of 40-37. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Jones has suffered yet this season.
Despite the defeat, Jones had strong showings from Aariel Jemison, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and two steals, and Azaria Jemison, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 51.4% of Jones' points, marking the eighth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Cassidy Rouse, who scored two points along with 13 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Jones smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Liberty Christian Academy only pulled down seven offensive rebounds.
Liberty Christian Academy was led to victory by Hollyn Thigpen and Sarah Minner. Thigpen scored ten points along with two steals, while Minner scored 15 points along with two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thigpen has scored all season.
Jones' loss dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Liberty Christian Academy, their win bumped their record up to 1-10.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Jones won't have much time to rest: their next game is against East Carteret at 5:00 p.m. on January 12th. The timing is sure in East Carteret's favor as the team sits on six straight wins at home while Jones has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road. Liberty Christian Academy won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Hilltop Christian at 6:30 p.m. on January 12th.
