Jags lose 61-58 nailbiter against Walnut Grove

After a long back-and-forth battle between the Cedar Shoals Jaguars and the Walnut Grove Warriors, the game came down to one play. With four seconds on the clock, the Jags found themselves in possession of the ball, down by three points. After multiple timeouts by both teams, the Jags got one chance to send the game into overtime. With the crowd behind him, sophomore guard Deston Foote put up a three-point shot that rolled and bounced out of the rim, ending the game.

“We came out strong,” senior center Alexander Koch said. “We had a couple of distractions late in the game. We need to just keep the gas going and not give up.”

Entering the game with their best start since 2020, Koch and senior guards Robert Mack and Anthony Hubbard guided the Jags to an early 20-9 lead.

Momentum quickly shifted in the second quarter as the Warriors moved the ball efficiently on offense. The trend continued throughout the game with each team matching the other, ending the half with the Warriors leading 29-28.

“Nobody was forcing anything, everybody was making the right passes looking for the open person and taking good shots,” Koch said.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Jags trailed by three, eventually retaking the lead with seven minutes to go. After a trio of buckets from sophomore Devin Hubbard and senior Jeremiah Brown, the Jags pulled out to a 51-48 lead with 3:40 left in the game causing an uproar amongst Jaguar fans.  

“The crowd was really into it. After every bucket and stoppage of play, you really heard them. It’s good to have some spirit back at Cedar,” Koch said.

However, defensive rebounds and a slowing offense allowed Walnut Grove to make a late-game charge; the Warriors pulled ahead to a 61-58 lead with just over four seconds left in the game. 

“I feel like we had a few selfish moments,” Koch said. “It’s something that I hope we can overcome as a team over the next week.”

Looking ahead, the Jags face off against Jackson County (12/9), North Hall (12/12), Seckinger (12/15), and Clarke Central (12/16) in the next week.

“Coming out of a hard-fought game, we have a lot of momentum. I think we’ll keep it going against Jackson County and for the rest of the season,” Koch said. 
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