On Friday, January 27th, the Lonoke Jackrabbit varsity boys and girls basketball teams played at home in the Gina Cox Center Against Hall High Warriors. The Jackrabbit Boys and the Lady Rabbits both pulled out a victory against Hall. Senior Point Guard Mason Ford was excited about the game against Hall. ”When playing Hall I think Lonoke as a unit felt a rush of adrenaline throughout the whole game, and it started from the time we woke up. We knew it was a big game and we needed this win to compete for the playoffs and you could feel the energy from the pep rally, through the halls, all the way till tip-off. Then as the game continued everyone knew the mission and the mission was accomplished.” The energy in the Gina Cox Center was electric, especially in the student section!

The Senior High Boys’ basketball team won 42-29. In the first period, Lonoke was leading 9-4 against Hall. In the 2nd period, the boys continued the trend by leading 19-11. In the third quarter, Lonoke was able to score 11 more points making the score 30-19 and in the final period, Lonoke was able to score 12 more points allowing for a victory over Hall 42-29. The Boys are overall 10-8. In conference, they are 5-4 and their 4th in the 4A Region 5 and they are on a 3-win streak!

On Friday, the Senior High Lady Rabbits also won their home conference game against Hall with a score of 45-35. The Lady rabbits were led by Sophomore D’mya Eason with 17pts, Sophomore Shakari James with 15 pts, and Tyesha James with 13pts. Sophomore Shakari James stated, “I felt amazing when we won against Hall. That win was a big one. It helped us on our road to get to regionals.” The Lady rabbits are 10-11 overall. In conference, they are 3-5.

Both teams are leading the way to victory. Part of the reason that the Rabbits are winning is because of teamwork. Mason Ford states, “The best part of being a basketball player is the bonds you make with your team. After games sometimes win or lose and a couple of teammates will stay at the gym hours after the game and get shots up. We understand that win or lose we have to get better and we can’t do that individually we have to do that as a whole. And when doing this, that’s when trust begins to build up. A basketball team is literally just a big family and our home is the court. We sweat, bleed, and cry on the court together, and we fight every game for one another. These are bonds that will never be forgotten and are carried out further than just basketball, but throughout real life.” We hope to see everyone continue to come out and support the basketball players on their road to Regionals.