Red Devils take what Lions give

There wasn’t a lot of giving in Saturday’s 5A-Central boys game between Jacksonville and Little Rock McClellan, but there was definitely much to be taken.

In the end, it was the No. 7ranked Red Devils who reaped the benefits.

Jacksonville dominated the boards and took advantage of a number of missed opportunities by McClellan late to pull out a 63-60 victory at the Devils Den and take over sole possession of first place in the conference.

“My kids went out there and gutted it out,” Jacksonville Coach Victor Joyner said. “With [McClellan’s] size, depth, athletic ability and experience, they’re better than us on paper. But the guys had to bang with them, get in there and scrap.

“We made some big plays when we needed to and as a result, we managed to get the win.”

Aaron Smith led Jacksonville (15-3, 7-0) with 18 points, while Kannan Jackson added 14. Brandon Brockman and Justin McCleary also added nine apiece.

Davion Givens scored a team-high 15 points for McClellan (12-6, 6-1), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped. Derrick Hardy added 10 points, while Tronsayne Ellis finished with nine.

Little Rock McClellan Coach Chris Threatt pointed to a number of factors that contributed to Saturday’s loss, but it was one area in particular that surprised both he and Joyner — rebounding.

Jacksonville outrebounded a bigger McClellan team 4019, including a 23-7 margin in the first half. The Red Devils got several second-chance opportunities, with their smaller frontline extending many possessions with constant activity around the rim.

“I didn’t think our energy was where it needed to be, particularly in the first half,” Threatt said. “And some of that was desire. In a game where you lose by three points, all of that adds up and helps a team win. And we didn’t have that coming out.”