Jackson Progress-Argus

Jackson guard LaDarian Spivey looks for an open man in Lamar County’s zone defense.

Jackson High School’s boys and girls basketball teams won on the same day for the first time in almost exactly a year when they both were victorious on the road against Locust Grove High School on Jan. 31.

The last time both teams won on the same day was also against Locust Grove back on Feb. 1, 2011.

However, both teams dropped their next games on Friday, losing on the road to Lamar County High School.

Jackson Boys

Jackson started the week off by continuing a good run of form that was punctuated with a 54-47 victory against Locust Grove on the road Tuesday night, Jan. 31.

LaDarian Spivey led the Red Devils in points with 18, while Rontavious Miller provided a lift to the team by pouring in 12. Miller, who has been used throughout much of the season as a role player coming off the bench to provide defensive toughness, finished six of seven shooting from the floor while also grabbing five rebounds. Pheanious McKibben was also a key contributor for the Red Devils on the night, adding 10 points and grabbing two of Jackson’s 16 steals.

Jackson’s Head Coach Dary Myricks was pleased with the result, but said he and the team felt they could have done even better.

“Against Locust Grove, we won, but back in the locker room the kids were a little down because they thought they could’ve done better,” said Myricks. “To me, that’s a good thing. With all the losses we’ve had, I’m glad that they are thinking, ‘We won, but we should’ve won by more.’”

Friday, the Red Devils lost 70-64 to Lamar County High School on the road in a hostile environment in Barnesville.

Spivey led Jackson once again with a sound all-around performance, with 26 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. Torian Hollaman added 11 points and six assists for the Red Devils.

The game followed a pattern similar to Jackson’s game against Spalding on Jan. 27, during which Jackson remained within striking distance of the lead despite trailing for large portions of the game. Jackson finally took the lead with 5:20 to play in the game on a free throw by Spivey, which was a point in the game when Spivey was taking over offensively for Jackson.

However, Lamar County took the lead back on its next possession, and it was one that would not be relinquished despite Jackson’s best efforts.

“Tonight was a little frustrating because we let one get away from us,” said Myricks. “Lamar County is a pretty decent team being second place in their region right now, so it’s tough. But to the last horn, we were in the game the entire way, and that says a lot about our kids.”

The Jackson boys are nearing season’s end, with only a game at Eastside High School on Friday remaining before the region tournament begins next week on Feb. 13. Their opening opponent in the region tournament has yet to be decided, but will likely be a rematch with Locust Grove, as the No. 8 and No. 9 teams are scheduled to play a play-in game to determine who will play the No. 1 seed on Feb. 16. The play-in game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time at Eagle’s Landing High School.

Jackson Girls

The Jackson High School Lady Devils picked up their second win of the season with a 35-27 victory over Locust Grove on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Point Guard Latara Grier’s return to the starting lineup has been a sight for sore eyes for Lady Devils fans, as the team’s scoring has improved tremendously since her return. The Lady Devils had a three-game span from Jan. 17-24 in which they mustered only 16 points total. With Grier’s return to the lineup against Spalding High School improved to 27, then to 35 in their win Tuesday.

Jackson’s Head Coach Corey Johnson said better fundamentals from his team helped them in their victory over Locust Grove.

“We eliminated our turnover, and when you turn the ball over, you just make it harder on yourself,” said Johnson. “We were able to cut our turnovers in half, and were able to get the ball across half court and run our offense. We boxed out, we rebounded, and overall, I thought we had a little life. Most of all, we expected to play well, and I think that was one of the biggest differences.”

The Lady Devils were not as effective against a stronger Lamar County team, losing 61-24. The Lady Trojans forced turnovers by pressing Jackson’s ball handlers all over the court, which turned into easy layups.

The Lady Red Devils finish their regular season at Eastside on Friday starting at 7 p.m. Jackson currently sits at No. 8 in the region, and if it remains that way following the game against Eastside, the team will play Locust Grove again in the region tournament on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m., at Eagle’s Landing High School.