Tigers fall to Holliday, 50-37

HOLLIDAY – If it’s one thing, jacksboro’s boys basketball team has been known for this year, it’s the knack for fighting hard.

The results haven’t always been in the Tigers’ favor, as Jacksboro sits in last place in District 7-3A heading into the Jan. 26 game with first-place Holliday. In the first meeting, Jacksboro got out to an early lead but wound up on the short end of a 50- 47 stick.

Tuesday night, Jacksboro held tough for more than a half but s big third quarter by the Eagles enabled the squad to pull away and give Holliday a 50-37 win.

Holliday is now 7-1 in District 7-3A with the Tigers at 1-7.

Both teams had a slow offensive start, , Jordan Yount’s three-pointer with 3:44 to go putting the Tigers on the board and giving the squad a 3-2 lead. Holliday shot 14 percent in the first but countered at the free throw line to offset a cold shooting frame by the Tigers.

Tied at five after one, Yount gave the Purple its second lead at 7-5. Holliday would pull away for a spell but buckets by Rylan Chalmers and Yount would bring the Tigers again with two at 19-17 in the final minute of the half. Despite shooting just 27 percent in the half, Jacksboro found itself down just three, 21-18 at intermission.

Holliday would break things open with a 14-7 third quarter.The Eagles nearly doubled their halftime lead over the first minute of the third. Yount had all three baskets for Jacksboro in the third along with a Devon Green free throw as Holliday moved its advantage into double figures, 35-25 to commence the fourth quarter.

Connor Cox, who had the hot hand in the first half, had four buckets (three inside and one from beyond the arc) in the fourth quarter. Jacksboro continued to hang tough and not let the game out of hand with Chalmers and classmate Landon Davenport scoring to cut the lead back to 10.

A nifty Davenport drive inside the the final two minutes would cut the deficit into single figures but it wasn’t enough.

Yount had 17 points to pump the Purple. Cox had 22 for the Eagles.