The Calvary Day girls’ basketball team didn’t clinch victory in the first quarter, but a 15-0 start helped propel the Cavaliers past host Jenkins 46-32 in a battle of previously unbeaten Region 3-3A teams on Friday night.
The Cavaliers improved to 9-7 overall and took sole possession of first place in the region at 7-0. Destini Gooddine scored a team-high 15 points, with fellow guard Bre Jones adding 10 and forward Zora Geiger 11.
Calvary Day School's Amani Owens launches a three-pointer during an intense Region 3-3A matchup. (Photo by ProShot_Media)
“I felt that we played together early, played hard early,” Calvary coach Daniel Jackson said. “I’ve been on them big-time about that. I haven’t been satisfied with how we come out and establish games. We did a better job of it tonight.”
That might be an understatement. Geiger recorded the first basket by putting back her own offensive rebound about 20 seconds into the game. Jones made a basket in similar fashion, and Geiger scored on a fast-break layup, leading Jenkins to call timeout with 4:56 left in the opening quarter.
That pause didn’t slow the Cavaliers, as Jones went the length of the court for a fast-break layup, Gooddine made a steal and scored, Amahni Owens sank a 3-pointer from the left baseline corner and Gooddine concluded yet another fast break with a layup after a steal for 15-0 advantage.
A’Niyah Browner got Jenkins (9-7, 5-1 region) on the scoreboard with a long 3-pointer at the 1:54 mark. Browner accounted for the rest of the Warriors’ scoring in the quarter and finished with a game-high 18 points.
Calvary Day got one more basket, a Geiger 3-pointer, to lead 18-8 after one quarter.
“The bigger the lead or gap that we can create, that’s what we look for because you never know how the tide is going to turn in a game,” Jackson said.
With three quarters to play, he expected Jenkins to make a run to get back into the contest.
“They have several athletes that play hard,” Jackson said. “Any time you play against athletes that play hard, a run is bound to happen. Our run will end and we have to stay more disciplined.”
Jenkins guards I’Yarna Lee and Browner are quick and play with a lot of energy, Jackson said. With other players such as 6-foot-1 Taylor Young and 6-3 Heaven Arkwright, the Warriors also had a size advantage.
“With the height they have, they’re able to grab the rebounds,” Jackson said. “We have to fight, as small as we are, to protect the rim. I even played some zone (defense) to try to do that.”
Jenkins coach Brianna Brooker also expected her squad to make runs to close the deficit. The Warriors trailed 28-17 at halftime and got within eight points, 31-23, in the third before the Cavaliers outscored them 11-5 the rest of the quarter.
The Warriors made a push to start the fourth, closing to 42-32 with 3:42 remaining in regulation – despite missing three free throws in that span. Brooker noted the team didn’t take advantage of trips to the foul line, but it was missed layups that really undermined a comeback.
“We beat ourselves,” Brooker said. “We missed a lot of layups, a lot, a lot of layups. When it got to 42-32, the intensity cranked up and we had a chance to cut that lead to single digits, and we didn’t do that because we didn’t make layups. I credit the loss to us, not to Calvary. They played an incredible game, they’re well-coached, a lot of incredible players over there. But we’ll take this loss because we didn’t execute our game plan.”
Both coaches referenced recent history in how they view Friday’s result, with a rematch scheduled for Feb. 4 at Calvary. Jackson recalled how the Cavaliers lost only two region games in 2023-24 – both to region regular-season champion Savannah Country Day. However, the Cavs beat the Hornets in the region tournament title game.
“To me, this is another region win, but we can’t get complacent,” Jackson said. “You never know what happens by the time you get to the region championship.”
Brooker said of the Warriors’ first region loss, “I’d rather have it happen right now than later.”
The team will work in practice on areas such as free throws and making layups with contact, she said.
Brooker also coaches the Jenkins flag football team with a roster mostly of basketball players. She recalled how the Warriors rebounded from a regular-season loss to a powerful New Hampstead squad to make a historic run to the GHSA state semifinals last fall.
“That was fuel,” Brooker said. “Sometimes you need losses to refocus, to get back to the drawing board, to be able to focus on the bigger picture. It’s a loss. It happened. You can’t expect perfection. I’m grateful for the opportunity to get back to the drawing board and come out stronger.”
CALVARY DAY 46, JENKINS 32
CALVARY DAY (46)
Destini Gooddine 15, Owens 6, Johnson 2, Zora Geiger 11, Bre Jones 10, A. Jones 2.
JENKINS (32)
Lee 6, A’Niyah Browner 18, Jones 2, Scott 2, Young 4.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| CDS | 18 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 46 |
| HVJ | 8 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 32 |
Records—Calvary Day 9-7, 7-0 Region 3-3A; Jenkins 9-7, 5-1.
BOYS BASKETBALL
CALVARY DAY 70, JENKINS 39
The Cavaliers and host Warriors were even after the first eight minutes. After that, Calvary Day dominated the second quarter 28-4 and was able to cruise to victory and remain unbeaten in Region 3-3A.
Calvary Day School's Kuol Alor Deng locks down on defense during the Region 3-3A showdown. (Photo by ProShot_Media)
Calvary Day (10-5, 7-0 region) had four players score in double figures, led by junior Kuol Deng and freshman Jamari Jenkins with 16 points apiece. Demetrius Brown, a junior, contributed 12 points and sophomore Marlon Knight Jr. 10 in a balanced attack.
Tyquan Floyd, with 12 points, was the only player for Jenkins (8-7, 4-3 region) to reach double figures.
“As far as (our players) sharing the ball, it’s something we want to pride ourselves on,” Calvary coach Scepter Brownlee said. “We want to have four people who are in double figures (scoring) when we play. If we do that, we will be tough to beat as a team. They pride themselves on making the extra pass, turning down good shots to get great shots.”
Brownlee said he knew that the Warriors would be prepared and play with a lot of energy, so the tight first quarter (15-all) was expected.
Brown, a point guard, opened the scoring in the second quarter with a layup, and Deng followed with a hustle play, making a steal in the backcourt and a layup. Knight drove the length of the court for another layup, and Evan Blessett drained the first of his two long 3-pointers for a 24-15 advantage.
Ke’Tayrion Haynes broke the scoring drought for the Warriors by putting back an offensive rebound with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter. Isaac Smith recorded the only other basket for Jenkins about four minutes later when he posted up and powered his way to the hoop.
The rest was all Cavaliers, with Brown contributing a pull-up jumper, two free throws and a buzzer-beating tip-in for a 24-point lead, 43-19 at halftime.
“Our guys kind of locked in and said we wanted to stop them defensively,” Brownlee said. “Sometimes it’s not about offense. It’s about how many stops you can string in a row. I think we got to five stops in a row in the second quarter, which is a benchmark for our team.”
Calvary went up by as many as 31 points in the third quarter, which included a 3-pointer from the 6-foot-10 Deng. The lead grew to 32 points in the final period, when Deng’s dunk thrilled the partisan crowd.
Alone atop the region, Calvary has won two consecutive games after a non-region defeat at Class 4A Benedictine, 67-62, on Jan. 11. Brownlee said the team learned from the loss.
“Benedictine plays extremely hard,” he said. “It was a wake-up that you have to be physical, you have to be tough. Savannah basketball is physical, it’s tough, it’s competitive every time you step on the court.”
CALVARY DAY 70, JENKINS 39
CALVARY DAY (70)
Kuol Deng 16, Jamari Jenkins 16, Blessett 6, Marlon Knight Jr. 10, Demetrius Brown 12, Sullivan 2, Kiir 6.
JENKINS (39)
Mobley 2, Massey 2, Do. Johnson 8, Tyquan Floyd 12, Haynes 2, Williams 1, Smith 9, Graham 3.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| CDS | 15 | 28 | 18 | 9 | 70 |
| HVJ | 15 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 39 |
Records—Calvary Day 10-5, 7-0 Region 3-3A; Jenkins 8-7, 4-3 region.
NOTE: Cover Photo - Calvary Day School's Bre Jones drives into the key for a shot during the Region 3-3A clash. (Photo by ProShot_Media)
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Proshot_Media
FOLLOW the Prep Sports Report on Twitter @PrepSav and Instagram savannahsportsreport. If you have any scores, information, or story ideas to share, please email kdemasi@prepsportsreport.com.
Optim Orthopedics: Championing Savannah's Prep Sports Scene!
From the gridiron to the hardwood, Optim Orthopedics stands tall as a dedicated supporter of high school athletes across Savannah. They're not just sponsors—they're game-changers, delivering top-notch medical care to nine standout schools:
- Dr. Don Aaron: Bryan County Middle/High School
- Dr. David Sedory: Benedictine Military, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County
- Dr. David Palmer: Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham
- Dr. Thomas Alexander: Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent's
As Southeast leaders in fellowship-trained orthopedic care, Optim Orthopedics fuels Prep Sports Report's basketball and football coverage. Because when the game's on the line, Optim Orthopedics gets you back in it!
