A career-high 37 points from J.Z. George senior D’Anthony “Yogi’ McGlothan weren’t quite enough to rally the Jaguars from a 14-point deficit entering the fourth quarter as they suffered a tough 69-67 loss to Choctaw County on Friday night.
The defeat marked the 12th setback in a row for J.Z. George (2-13) since a November victory over Ethel.
J.Z. George trailed just 29-25 at halftime before stumbling out of the gates in the third quarter. By the end of the period, the Jaguars trailed 50-36 heading into the final frame.
With their backs against the wall, McGlothan and fellow senior guard Kendarius Head caught fire to bring J.Z. George back into contention. The duo accounted for all 31 of the Jaguars’ points in the fourth quarter as McGlothan scored 16 points and Head knocked down five 3-pointers to ignite the home crowd in North Carrollton.
The comeback ultimately fell short, but McGlothan made his mark with an incredible stat line of 37 points, 10 rebounds and five steals, almost singlehandedly stealing a game from Choctaw County (3-11).
Aside from Head’s 15 points, Alex Criss was the next-highest scorer with nine points.
“Yogi is just one of those players who can do everything — shoot, pass, defend,” first-year J.Z. George head coach DeJuan Clark said of McGlothan. “I’d compare his game to someone like Gilbert Arenas. They’re both left-handed, they both play point guard, they both have that personality where they’re going to make it happen. Yogi just has an ‘it’ factor that you can’t teach.”
The losing streak is a tough pill to swallow, but Clark believes Friday’s close loss will motivate his group for its rematch with Choctaw County on Jan. 29.
“It was a good comeback,” Clark said. “They always fight until the end. But we play them again later this month and I feel like my guys will come out fired up knowing that they were so close this game.”
The Jaguars return to action next Friday at Eupora.
- Contact Riley Overend at 581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter
