The Jena Lady Giants continued their season this past week as they played two more games ending the week with one win and one loss.
On Tuesday, February 4, the Lady Giants traveled to Glenmora for another non-district matchup. The Lady Giants were trying not to look ahead to their big matchup with Buckeye later in the week. It would be a tight one but the Lady Giants would hold on to pick up the 41-39 win.
In the game for the Lady Giants, Hallie Phillips had 9 points and 3 steals. Triniti Williams had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Noel Kimbrough had 7 points.
On Friday, February 7, the Lady Giants would travel to Buckeye to take on the Lady Panthers in a big-time district matchup. Both teams came in ranked in the top 10 in their division power rankings. Buckeye came in with a 19-5 record while the Lady Giants came in with a 17-9 record. Both teams were also undefeated in district play with a 4-0 record. Buckeye also came into the game with an impressive 11 game winning streak.
The gym was full as Jena and Buckeye fans filled every seat. Even the Jena Lady Giants cheerleaders made the trip to cheer on the Lady Giants. Whoever would win the game would earn a share of the district championship and would be one game away from winning it out right. It would also be a big game for Lady Giants Head Coach Garrett Hoffpauir who coached at Buckeye for many years winning district championships.
The Lady Giants would jump out to a 4-0 lead early as Triniti Williams would score the first two baskets of the night for the Lady Giants. Buckeye would answer though as they would go on a 7-0 run to take the lead. Ahja Dorsey would then knock down a three-point shot to tie it at seven. Buckeye would go on a run to take a 15-9 lead into the second quarter.
The Lady Giants would come back to take a 16-15 lead on a Kaylee Kemp made three-point shot. Buckeye would end the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 21-16 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Lady Giants would keep it close but would be unable to take another lead. The Lady Giants would get within 4 of Buckeye on a made free throw by Jacquelyn Brooks to make it 3228, but that would be as close as Jena would get. Buckeye would go on to win 44-32.
In the game for the Lady Giants, Triniti Williams had 13 points, Hallie Phillips had 7 points, Ahja Dorsey had 5 points, Kaylee Kemp had 3 points, Jacquelyn Brooks had 3 points and Sophie Parker had 1 point.
The Lady Giants fell to 17-10 overall and 4-1 in district play but they have nothing to hang their heads about. They gave a great performance and with both teams have a lot of young starters it looks like Jena and Buckeye will have more great battles in the future. At the end of the day though, the playoffs are what matters and the Lady Giants are in a great position to make a run in the playoffs because of their great season.
So, although it doesn’t feel good to lose to Buckeye we still have a lot to play for as we finish the season this week and prepare for the playoffs. This week the Lady Giants will finish up their season at Marksville. The Lady Giants are sitting at #9 in the power rankings and are looking to move up maybe one more spot if some games go their way.
Everyone is encouraged to make the trip to Marksville this Friday night to cheer on the Lady Giants. If you can’t make it to the game then you can hear all the live action on 102.7 KJNAFM starting at 6:00 p.m.
If you are not in the listening area then you can download the MIXLR app and search for KJNAFM or go online at www.kjnafmjena.mixlr. com.
Photos from the game:
