Heartbreak in St. Louis: Jackson girls basketball falls short in district title clash

ST. LOUIS — The Jackson girls basketball team entered the Class 6 District 1 Tournament with only one loss to its name.

However, the Lady Indians could not afford one more loss in the postseason.

Jackson fell to Cor Jesu Academy 54-42 in the C6D1 championship game Tuesday, March 11, at Lindbergh High School. Cor Jesu, which finished last season in the state semifinals, has now won five district titles in the past seven years.

The Indians kept it close with the Chargers early, as Addison Henderson and Lauren Dory each scored five points in a 13-all first quarter. Henderson finished the game with a team-high nine points, all in the first half.

The Indians fell into a hole quickly in the second quarter as they were held to only five points and went into halftime trailing 25-18.

Kate Deck scored all eight of her points in the third quarter as the Indians tried to pick their offense back up with 12 points in the period.

The Indians could not catch up to the Chargers, who outscored them by a point in the third quarter and scored a game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter, highlighted by 9-of-12 made free throws. Overall, Cor Jesu was 14 of 17 from the charity stripe.

Jackson finished the season with a 25-2 record, its highest win total since the MSHSAA started tracking seasons in 2009. The Indians' previous high was in 2019, when they went 24-5 with a district title.

Jackson bids farewell to four seniors; Addison Criddle, Camryn Alsdorf, Lillie Cole and Emerson Gross.

After seeing the impact Henderson and Deck had as freshmen, optimism is high for another strong run at the district championship in 2026.