Jackson survives Chaffee’s challenge to reach Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament semifinals

No. 1 seed Jackson survived a scare from No. 8 Chaffee in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament quarterfinals, narrowly winning 49-38 on Friday, Dec. 27, at the Show Me Center.

Jackson opened the game very sloppy on both ends of the court and the Red Devils took advantage with an early 12-7 lead. The Indians closed the quarter by outscoring the Red Devils 5-4, but still trailed 16-12 to start the second.

The teams traded baskets throughout the quarter with the Indians and Devils having success inside the paint.

The teams entered halftime tied at 23, and Indians head coach Kory Thoma gave all the credit to Chaffee for making things tough on Jackson.

“Kudos to them. They controlled the tempo all night. We put them on the foul line a lot in the first half, and they made some big clutch chops. We couldn't get out in transition. The third quarter was the same way. We stretched out a little bit and then they caught up and made some buckets,” Thoma said. “I think we wore them down a little bit and we made more plays. That's why the game is a four-quarter game, not one, two or three. I was proud of the boys and the way we responded late in the game.”

The third quarter was more trading basket, but a couple of big moments made the final frame more exciting. Jackson’s Kole Deck nailed a 3 to tie the game before Chaffee hit a midrange floater at the buzzer to take a 35-33 lead entering the fourth.

The fourth quarter was all Jackson as the Indians outscored the Devils 16-3 to survive the scare. Chaffee went cold on offense, while Jackson stepped up by going inside.

Deck led the Indians with 16 points, including a 9-of-14 clip from the free-throw line. Kolton Thoma added 11 points through the first three-quarters of the game. The Indians made 16 of 26 from the charity stripe.

The Red Devils were led by Nolan Fowler, who scored 15 points. He was the only one to score in the fourth quarter with three points.

Coach Thoma said the players need to clean up some things before facing a very good Notre Dame or Scott City team.

“We played Notre Dame already this year. I've seen Scott City a few times, but they're both good teams. We're gonna have to play well either way. I'm not concerned about them yet, I'm worried about what I have to fix with us first,” Thoma said. “I think my game plan was not great tonight, and I need to work on that and make better adjustments during the game, and then we'll move into tomorrow night.”

Jackson will face the winner of Notre Dame and Scott City in the semifinal, while Chaffee will play the loser of the same game in the fifth-place bracket, both on Day 3 of the tournament.