Keep up with the Jones

CHOUDRANT — District 2-B title hopes in the balance. Two top 15 teams in the state. The rematch between No. 11 Simsboro and No. 13 Choudrant didn’t disappoint Friday, with the Aggies winning a thriller 77-74 to stay alive in the district race by knotting up with the Tigers at 3-1 in league play.

“Unbelievable,” Choudrant head coach Ryan Smith said postgame. “ The atmosphere was super electric. That was beyond a playoff game. Just really proud of our community for showing up and being here for that. Hope we can get that again in the future.

“Just really proud of the guys. We talked a lot about being disciplined and staying strong because man, they’re good. Their strengths are our weakness, and tonight we were able to calm down there enough and made a few plays down the stretch. I thought the free throws were huge by Mike and Tucker,” he continued.

Between Choudrant (19-11, 3-1) leading 15-14 after the first quarter and Simsboro ( 20- 12, 3-1) pulling back ahead 32- 31 at halftime and extending its lead 58-52 entering the fourth, it was only right the two district rivals put on a heavyweight fight to the very end in front of a rowdy home crowd for the Aggies.

And who else but Choudrant senior Michael Jones to deliver the biggest blows with 37 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 blocks – including 29 points in the second half and 16 in the fourth quarter alone.

Over his last two games, Jones has 72 points. In his last six, he’s averaged 28.6 points per game.

With Choudrant trailing by 10 with under 4:30 left in the third, Jones and company began to turn the tide with stronger answers to Simsboro’s full- court pressure, sharing the ball at a high rate to chip away at the deficit before overtaking the Tigers 67-66 with 3:30 left in the fourth on a layup by Jones.

Jones’ second- half play was the consistent weapon for the Aggies as Simsboro began turning the ball over and rushing offense, giving Jones and teammates transition offense and easier looks off the press to lead to layups and free throw opportunities. In the final 1:20 of the game, Jones scored six of the team’s final eight points, including a perfect 5-of-5 showing at the charity stripe.

And he did it all while playing with four fouls for most of the final period.

“It’s really incredible to be honest,” Smith said of Jones. “Being with four fouls like that, and he hasn’t been in foul trouble much this season. Going back to his younger years, he was experienced being in foul trouble. He probably can look back on some of those things. He’s so coachable and he wants to win and does what it takes. Ultimate leader and ultimate teammate. Just really happy he’s on our team. I know he’s got some big games left.”

Tucker Batteron added 9 points for the Aggies, including 5 in the fourth, while Lawson Stevens and Carson Carrico had 10 each.

Simsboro stuck to its principles for most of the game, getting to an overwhelming full-court press early to force Choudrant into mistakes and live-ball turnovers. The Tigers forced 30 turnovers once again against Choudrant — now the ninth game in a row the Simsboro has forced an opponent into more than 20 turnovers in a game.

Itavus Brown scored 23 points for Simsboro with four made threes, his highest scoring output since his 27 points against Gibsland-Coleman on Nov. 9. Jakaleb Modest scored 20 points as well. The loss snapped the Tigers’ six-game win streak and put a pause on their clinching a district title, two realities head coach Adam Wodach said his team felt but knows it will have a shot at redemption soon.

With both teams likely on their way to finish the regular season tied atop the district standings, both Wodach and Smith expect to play a third time to officially declare the district champion.

“ What an amazing high school environment,” Wodach said postgame. “I’m speechless to how awesome that was for high school basketball. Two teams duking it out and getting after it. You can’t ask for more than that. That felt like a 15-round slugfest. I think whoever had the ball last was going to find a way to win it. It’s one of those things you walk away and the judges don’t know who wins but fortunately we get to play it out again.”