Boys basketball finishes regular season at 18-9
Mark Durden
J.T. Bryant
J.T. Bryant
Jaiden West
A.J. Sampson
Yellow Jacket cheerleaders
The Jeff Davis High boys basketball team lost their chance to play for the 2026 region championship when they fell Thursday 47-40 to Thomasville in the region tournament semifinals.
The Jackets bounced back the next night to defeat Brantley County 53-45 to finish the regular season with an 18-9 record.
Jeff Davis plays tonight (Wednesday) in Lyons as they face Toombs County in the first round of the Georgia High School Association Class A, Division 1 State Tournament. The Jackets lost two close regular season games to the Bulldogs, falling 40-38 Dec. 2 in Lyons and losing 52-48 Jan. 2 in Hazlehurst.
Last Thursday, playing against Thomasville in the region tournament in Fitzgerald, the Jackets took a 28-21 lead into the dressing room at halftime. But they went cold in the second half as J.J. Benjamin’s 3-pt. shot was the only basket the Jackets got in the 3rd quarter and they found themselves down 35-31 entering the 4th.
Benjamin, A.J. Sampson and J.T. Bryant vaulted the Jackets to a 4-pt. lead early in the 4th quarter but, when they slowed down play to try to preserve the lead, Thomasville fought back to pull away to the 47-40 win.
Benjamin finished with 14 points, Bryant had 11, Sampson 8, Kolby Jarrell 3, and Amare Burney and Mark Durden 2 each.
In Friday’s game against Brantley, the Jackets and the Herons were knotted at 23-all at intermission. But in the 3rd quarter, Sampson took control at both ends of the court, scoring 9 points — going 5-of-8 from the free throw line —and swatting away shots on the defensive end. Sampson and Jaiden West, who hit a pair of 3-pt. shots in the quarter, led the Jackets to a 45-35 lead entering the final quarter.
Jeff Davis coasted to the win from there.
West finished with 4 3-pt. shots and 14 points to lead the scoring. Jarrell added a trio of 3-pt. shots and finished with 13 points. Sampson had 11, Bryant 10, Benjamin 3, Burney 2 and Jaiden King 1.
Score by quarters:
THS 9 12 14 12 -47
JDHS 11 17 3 9 -40
BCHS 13 10 12 10 -45
JDHS 8 15 22 9 -54
