Howard boys remain undefeated at home with rivalry win against Tyner

Patrick MacCoon, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
·2 min read

Jan. 23—With the Howard boys' basketball team down by a dozen points in the second quarter and needing a spark on its home court Saturday afternoon, senior Jadon Jenkins turned on the heat and never let up.

Jenkins had 25 points and six steals to lead the Hustlin' Tigers to a 58-48 comeback victory against crosstown rival Tyner.

The electric guard had stretches when he scored eight and nine points in a row for his team in less than two minutes, and his final steal led to Mark Greer's 3-pointer that made it 51-46 with 3:16 to play. Greer scored Howard's final seven points, and the home crowd erupted in celebration as the Hustlin' Tigers (12-4) improved to 7-0 on their own floor this season.

"We were down early, but I kept telling my team to push through and stick together," said Jenkins, who has averaged close to 20 points per game. "I was able to put the team on my back and lock in, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates getting me the ball. Our coaches also called great plays, and we all accomplished this together."

Howard avenged a 42-41 loss to the Rams from last month's Times Free Best of Preps tournament. This time, a solid defensive effort held Tyner (13-8) to 19 points in the second half after Keelan Jackson scored 12 to help the visitors build a 29-27 halftime lead.

Jenkins scored the first nine points of the third quarter to help the Hustlin' Tigers, down 23-11 during the second quarter, go ahead for the first time and extend their lead to 36-31.

"Going into halftime, one of our assistant coaches saw that they couldn't stay in front of him," Howard coach James Talley said. "We told him to be patient and wait for things to clear out before you rush. So he was patient and really took over."

The defensive play of sophomore MyQuise Thomas was key to shutting down the Rams' attack in the second half, and Greer scored nine points in the fourth quarter.

For Jenkins, the latest win was his favorite moment with Howard basketball — but he hopes for more.

"We all have great chemistry and want to leave our mark," he said. "We give it our all out on the court because you never know when your last game could be. I want to put on a show regardless if it's on offense or defense. Whatever it takes to get the W."

Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.