TJ does just enough to beat Ringgold
By Jose Negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com
More often than not, Thomas Jefferson has won games this season while playing at its very best.
Tuesday night, the Jaguars found a way to win despite being at, arguably, their worst in a 70-55 triumph over visiting Ringgold in Section 1-5A play.
“Honestly, I thought we were absolutely awful tonight,” TJ head coach Dom DeCicco said. “It was the worst we’ve played all year, and that’s not taking anything away from Ringgold. I just thought our kids came out with no energy and that’s on me, that’s my fault. We did enough to win, but I thought we stunk.”
The Jaguars (13-2, 4-2) held a comfortable 38-24 lead at halftime before seeing it shrink within the first three-plus minutes of the third quarter.
During that span, the Rams went on a 14-5 run to cut their deficit to 43-38 with 3:49 left in the frame. Nick Peccon hit a pair of 3-pointers and Deondre Dotson scored four points during the spurt, while Demetrius Butler and Jacob Pehowic each scored on buckets inside to allow the Rams (2-6, 0-4) to pull within reach of the second-place Jaguars.
Despite throwing everything it had at TJ, Ringgold was unable to maintain its strong pace as the home team countered with a 12-4 run in the final 2:44 to take a 55-42 lead after three quarters.
“I thought we got back to doing what we do. We screened well, we rebounded well and we defended well,” DeCicco said. “When we did those things, we were OK. They did respond, but I’m still not too happy with the performance.”
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