Jackets win handily over Herons, fall to Bulldogs

The Yellow Jacket boys basketball team split a pair of region games last week, downing Brantley County Tuesday in Nahunta in a low-scoring game, 46-30, and falling Friday night in Thomasville to the hot-shooting Bulldogs 73-50.
The game moved the Bulldogs into second place in the region standings with an 8-1 record while the Jackets dropped to 3rd place at 7-3.
The Yellow Jackets are now 15-7 overall while the Bulldogs are 10-9.
The Yellow Jacket defense stymied the Herons Tuesday in Nahunta as Brantley managed only four field goals in the first half and trailed the Jackets 22-9 at halftime. Mark Durden led JD’s first half scoring with 7 points including a 3-pt. shot.
The second half scoring was closer with the sophomore Durden continuing to lead the way. He finished the night with 13 points to top the Jeff Davis scoring.
There weren’t many fouls called in the game as Jeff Davis shot only 4 free throws, making them all, and Brantley going to the line for only 9 tries, making 3.
Kolby Jarrell also scored in double digits for the Jackets with 11 points, including one shot from beyond the arc. J.T. Bryant and J.J. Benjamin both scored 9, and Jaiden King and A.J. Sampson both had a field goal.
Telstian Dyess with 8 points topped Brantley’s scoring.
Friday night in Thomasville, the home standing Bulldogs put on a shooting exhibition as they seemed to rarely miss from the field.
The Jackets got off to a slow start and trailed 38-27 at intermission. And in the 3rd quarter, every time the Jackets seemed to be chipping away at the lead the Bulldogs would come up with a 3-pt. shot to pull further ahead. Thomasville hit four 3-pt. shots in the 3rd quarter alone.
J.J. Benjamin led the Jeff Davis scoring with 17 points and J.T. Bryant was the only other Jacket in double figures with 10. Jaiden West had 5, Jaiden King and A.J. Sampson 4 each, Mark Durden and Kolby Jarrell 3 apiece, and JaRon Cochran and Amare Burney 2 each.
The cold shooting Jackets hit only one 3-pt. shot while Thomasville hit 9 for a 27-3 advantage in 3-pt. scoring.
Thomasville’s Montel Colvin was almost unstoppable for the Bulldogs as he scored 29 points and hit 5 shots from long range for 15 of his 29 points.
Score by quarters:
JDHS 8 14 12 12 -46
BCHS 4 5 11 10 -30

JDHS 10 17 11 12 -50
THS 20 18 25 10 -73