In a rollercoaster game of runs, Leflore County landed the last strike Tuesday night at J.Z. George in the first round of the State 2A Tournament.
After senior standout D’Anthony “Yogi” McGlothan (game-high 22 points) and the Jaguars erased a double digit deficit and took their first lead of the second half with six minutes left, the Tigers dominated down the stretch to secure a 68-57 victory.
Leflore (12-17) advances to the second round Saturday at 7 p.m. against the winner between Walnut and Marks Palmer.
The Tigers had a typically balanced scoring effort, led by Kamari Buck (14 points), Dequarrione “DJ” Jones (12 points), and Dante Kelly (eight points). Neither Jones, a senior forward, nor Kelly, a junior forward, played in Leflore’s first meeting with J.Z. George earlier this year, a 59-34 defeat in November before the Tigers’ football players had finished their deep playoff run.
“They got us in the beginning before my other guys came,” Leflore head coach Michael Higgins said. “I definitely knew that what we had then was way different than what we have now. I think that extra experience really helped us out.”
McGlothan hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter to keep the Jaguars (7-17) close, trailing just 27-14 at the break.
As hard as they fought, though, they also committed 25 costly turnovers that spoiled their comeback attempt.
“I knew we were going to fight back,” first-year J.Z. George head coach DeJuan Clark said. “It’s always a game of runs. We just had too many turnovers tonight. Turnovers have been killing us all season.
“There’s a lot of untapped potential here, a lot of raw talent that takes time,” he added. “I’m proud of where we’re at. We’re losing a lot of seniors, but I feel like after an offseason of work they’ll be better than they were this year once they get used to my coaching and my system.”
- Contact Riley Overend at 662-581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
