Jags fall to Hale County by one, 91-90

The Northridge Jaguars hosted the Hale County Wildcats and Oklahoma commit Gage Mayfield on Tuesday at The Ridge. While Hale County did grab a double-digit lead a couple times during the game, Northridge answered and kept the score close the entire night. After grabbing a four point lead with a little over four minutes remaining, the Jags saw that lead slip away and eventually came up just a few inches short of capturing a lead with under 10 seconds left. At the end, the Jags gave up a one-point loss to the Wildcats, 91-90.

The first quarter ended with a single bucket separating the Jags and Wildcats, with Hale County holding a 20-18 lead after one quarter complete. The second quarter saw the Wildcats increase their lead to eight, after outscoring the Jags 25-19, to claim a 45-37 halftime lead.

Northridge closed the gap to five in the third quarter, scoring 30 to Hale County’s 27. That left the Jags trailing 72-67. The Jags made a push and grabbed a 74-73 lead with 6:45 to go and extended it to four, 80-76, with 4:15 to go. The Wildcats fought back and reclaimed the lead with under two minutes remaining. Northridge had one last chance to claim the win after Hale County had taken a 91-90 lead, but the Jags’ last shot came a up a few inches short.

Elias Fleming led Northridge with 28 points. Andrew Matthews finished with 20 and Adam Hall was the remaining Jag in double digits, scoring 17 points. Miller James and Parker Mize added seven and six points, respectively. James Walker and Tavares Jones contributed four points apiece. Max Bruinton finished with three points and Garrett Ingram rounded out the scoring with one point.