By Kevin Price
The Richmond Hill boys basketball team put an
experienced starting lineup on the floor when the
current high school season started.
And the combined skill and know-how among the first
five made the Wildcats a tough team to beat from the
start.
One of the team’s experienced players is senior Jaeden
Marshall who 912 Sports has selected as the Coastal
Pines Technical College Student-Athlete of the Month
for January.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior guard has been a steady
player for the Wildcats throughout the season which is
approaching the final regular-season game.
Marshall currently leads the team in scoring with 15.5
points per game while ranking third on the squad in
rebounding with 6.1 boards per contest. Marshall also
leads the Wildcats with 51 assists per game.
“He does a little bit of everything for us,” said Richmond
Hill coach Bill Henderson. “He’s a a big-body and he’s
physical. He scores from outside and around the basket.
He’s done a better job rebounding this year and has just
matured and developed his overall game.”
And Marshall’s drive to success has served the Wildcats
well as they are the favorites to win a second
consecutive Region 2-AAAAAA championship before
having a good chance to make a deep run in the Class
AAAAAA state tournament.
The Wildcats entered this week ranked sixth in the state
and they are currently 16-1 overall and 8-1 in region
play with three games to go in the regular season.
They will close out the regular schedule with home
games Friday against Brunswick and Saturday against
Glynn before playing at Effingham on Tuesday in the
season finale.
The Wildcats won 16 in a row before falling 54-49 last
Friday at Statesboro which has lost only twice in 18
games this year.
Marshall actually did not play in the loss to the Blue
Devils, a game that was deadlocked at 49-all late. He
also missed the Wildcats’ previous game last Tuesday
which the team managed to win 60-55 over a struggling
South Effingham team.
He is likely looking forward to facing off with Brunswick
again on Friday. The last time the teams met, Marshall
scored 29 points and grabbed 10 boards for a double-
double while also notching seven assists.
The Wildcats topped Brunswick 86-70 earlier and their
point-total was their largest of the season.
“We don’t usually score like that,” Henderson explained,
“so we don’t normally have guys averaging 20 points.
This year, we have five guys averaging in double-
figures.”
Of course, Marshall is one of them. And he knows when
it’s time to turn it on and get the job done, whether the
Wildcats are on offense or defense.
“He’s started since he was a sophomore,” Henderson
said. “He’s played in a lot of big games as has everyone
in our core group. And really, this group’s togetherness
is part of the reason we have the success we’ve had this
year.”
By Kevin Price
The Statesboro girls basketball team is close to finishing out a
perfect regular season, and senior guard Jamiah Jones has
given the Lady Blue Devils one solid performance after another
to help the team keep its unbeaten record in place.
The 5-foot-6 standout, who wears No. 10, is averaging a team-
best 10.3 points while also sharing the team lead with 43 steals
and ranking second on the team with 30 assists for the season.
But all of what she does to help the Lady Blue Devils succeed on
the court doesn’t show up in a box score as her coach points out.
“She is a huge part of our program’s success, ” said Statesboro
coach Marty Holder. “She is our captain and senior leader. She
serves as a role model for our underclassmen.”
With Jones leading the way, Statesboro is currently 17-0 on the
season with a 11-0 ledger in Region 2-AAAAAA. The Lady Blue
Devils are ranked eighth in the class rankings that are topped
by some serious heavyweights.
The team will step outside the region to face Northside this Friday before finishing out the regular-season schedule next
Tuesday at Brunswick.
“(Jamiah) has sacrificed some of her scoring and learned to
trust her teammates,” Holder said. “She has really bought into
what we are trying to do this year. She has a high basketball IQ
and actually offers suggestions to the coaching staff about schemes and plays.
“ She is a gym rat and continuously wants to get better.
I’m grateful that I am able to coach Jamiah Jones.”
Holder said Jones is currently drawing interests from several colleges who are recruiting her to come play for them, but she has not yet decided on which one to accept. Jones has a 4.0 GPA.
“She is an amazing student-athlete,” Holder concluded.
Contact Shawn Smoak (912) 288-7323 sls0866@gmail.com
Copyright © 2019 912Sports.net All Rights Reserved
Our popular Thursday Night show has been moved to Monday during baseball season!
Be listening for live baseball coming soon!