Houston Jones puts on shooting display, helps Dutch Fork basketball to key region win
Dutch Fork guard Houston Jones had extra motivation when the Silver Foxes stepped foot in the Lexington gym for a key Region 5-5A contest Friday night.
The sophomore heard the stories about how his dad and current coach at Dutch Fork, Bret Jones, was an All-State standout with Lexington in the late 1980s. He wanted to make his mark on his father’s old stomping grounds and definitely did that.
Houston Jones connected on seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Silver Foxes to a 77-64 victory over the Wildcats.
“Obviously, this is my dad’s school,” Houston Jones said. “Playing at his school felt good. This was his gym, where he grew up, where he played. It felt good to score a lot and have my best game of the year.”
It was just as special for Bret Jones. His high school coach, Bailey Harris, was in attendance to witness the hot-shooting display. The elder Jones had a hard time hiding smile while discussing the performance.
“It’s special,” Bret Jones said. “Coach Harris was here so that was cool. He shoots it a lot better than I did in high school. I was really happy for him because he works really hard at it. As a father, and a coach, I’m happy for him.”
Houston Jones wasn’t the only bright spot for the Silver Foxes. Dimarco Johnson, an Akron football signee, had his way on the interior and scored 20 points despite giving up several inches to the taller Lexington front line.
A 14-7 run late in the first half gave Dutch Fork a lead they would never relinquish. Houston Jones connected on two 3-pointers during that stretch with Jarvis McClurkin added four points during that run to help give the Silver Foxes a 35-30 lead at the half.
JT Renner, who added 13 points, scored the first six points of the second half to push the lead to double digits. Lexington never got closer than six points the rest of way.
Region Impact
The win gives Dutch Fork (16-7, 5-2) a firm hold on first place in Region 5-5A. River Bluff lost to Chapin 49-44 in overtime Friday night to give the Silver Foxes a 1.5 game lead with only a week remaining in the regular season.
Lexington, River Bluff and White Knoll each sit at 3-3 and all three have two region games remaining. Dutch Fork plays out of region against Irmo on Tuesday before finishing up with White Knoll at home next Thursday.
“With River Bluff losing, if we win on Thursday, we win the region,” Bret Jones said. “We haven’t lost at home this year, so we’re excited about that. We told them if we win tonight, it’s championship week next week with Irmo, a rival, on Tuesday and White Knoll on Thursday.”
Inside-outside combo
As electric as Houston Jones was with his seven 3-pointers, the work Johnson did on the inside was just as impressive. The football standout is fully in basketball shape now and it’s starting to show in his play. His quickness was tough for the Wildcats to defend.
Bret Jones said this is what he saw from his team had various team camps this summer.
“That’s how we played this summer,” he said. “But guys coming off football have kind of been in and out and maybe had some mental fatigue. Dimarco had a great game inside.”
Lexington 1-2 punch
Cam Scott, the 8th grade sensation, scored 24 points and senior Adin Daniels added 15 points but the Wildcats needed more firepower in the up-tempo contest. Sophomore Amari Davis chipped in with 11 points, but the rest of the roster combined for 14 points.
Lexington (13-10, 3-3) could still earn home playoff games but will need more than Scott and Daniels in the scoring column to be a factor.
Boys basketball
Dutch Fork 77, Lexington 64
DF – Houston Jones 23, Dimarco Johnson 20, JT Renner 13, Green 7, McClurkin 5, Snipes 5, Smith 4. L – Cam Scott 24, Adin Daniels 15, Amari Davis 11, Reed 6, Mathias 4, Bouknight 2, Rivers 2.
Girls basketball
Lexington 59, Dutch Fork 53 OT
DF – Hillary Offing 17, Meghan Davenport 10, Brennan 9, Brown 7, Butler 6, Hill 2, Anderson 2. L – Lindsay Garner 18, Alexis Sexton 10, Jenna Yanity 10, Vanessa Austin 10, Crouch 6, Nichols 3, Johnson 2.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 11:16 PM.