The Brookhaven High Panthers hosted one of the top teams in boy’s MHSAA 5A basketball on Thursday in Sinclair Gymnasium and the South Jones Braves from Ellisville flexed their might in a 57-41 win to open Region 3-5A play for both teams.

The victory moved South Jones to 14-1 on the season. The loss is the third in a row for Brookhaven High, which now sits at 8-5 overall. The Panthers will take a week off before playing in the McComb High Christmas Tournament on Dec. 27-28.

South Jones picked up a big transfer over the summer when 6-foot-6 senior wing Ashton Magee came back to Ellisville. Magee had played as a freshman at SJ and picked up offers from both Southern Miss and Ole Miss back in 2021.

As a sophomore, he transferred to Madison Ridgeland Academy, where he’s played the last two seasons for the powerhouse MAIS 6A program.

With Magee suiting back up for the Braves, the only loss thus far this season came against 6A contender Columbus High (11-2).

Besides having the 6-foot-6 Magee, South Jones also has a sophomore forward in Triston Hawthorne that stands around the 6-foot-5 range. The pair both played above the rim on Thursday, combining for approximately seven slam dunks, with Hawthorn leading the way with four.

Brookhaven High isn’t a small team, with 6-foot-4 senior forward Kordell “Slim” Collins and 6-foot-3 junior Nicholas Gamble playing inside, but the Panthers could not contend with the Braves on the boards, as BHS grabbed few offensive rebounds against their longer opponents.

Magee scored 12 points, as he also missed six free throws in the game. Hawthorne scored 13 points and sophomore guard Jarvis Roberts added 11 points.

South Jones players celebrated the victory on the court afterwards, snapping pictures as they posed together. The Braves went 14-9 when Magee was a freshman and then 15-10 and 16-11 over the last two years while he was playing at MRA.

Getting the offense back cranked up is the goal for Brookhaven High going forward. The Panthers lost 47-29 in Magnolia Tuesday to South Pike. BHS won 62-39 when the teams met on Nov. 12 in Brookhaven.

Brookhaven High junior guard Jamarion Cooper led the way with a game high 18 points. The 6-foot Cooper played boldly against the bigs from South Jones, getting most of his points on buckets scored close to the basket.

Gamble added eight points, sophomore guard Tristian Thomas scored seven points, senior point guard Jay Ross scored four points, freshman Tanner Hardy scored three points, and junior Christian Lyons rounded out the Brookhaven High scoring with one point for head coach Charlton Grey. 

BHS is scheduled to face Tylertown at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 27 and Bogue Chitto on Dec. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the McComb Tournament.