Kole Deck's hot shooting propels Jackson Indians to tournament final showdown

Kole Deck scored 20 points to lead the Jackson Indians to a 57-47 win over the Scott City Rams in the semifinal round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Show Me Center.

Kolton Thoma scored 12 points with three baskets from the three-point line and Lee Ivy added 10 interior points for the Indians, who return to the tournament championship round for the fourth consecutive season.

The Indians entered the fourth quarter with a slight 43-41 lead but took full control of the game with an 8-0 run to start the final period and a 6-2 run in the final minute to stamp their ticket back to the final.

Deck credited the coaching staff for preparing the team against the previously undefeated Rams.

“They put in an amazing scouting report so we knew what we’re going to do going into the game,” Deck said.

Deck entered Day of the tournament with 38 points, which was the sixth highest in the field. He now enters the final round nearly averaging 20 points per game. 16 of his 20 points came from the three-point line, which matched Scott City’s total three-pointers.

“I haven’t really shot it well in the past two games,” Deck said, “but I knew with their matchup zone, they’re gonna sit back on defense. So I knew I needed to step up. It started a little rough but once I saw that first one go in, the others felt good.”

Jaylon Rulo scored 12 points for the Rams, who suffered their first loss of the season. Kaden Lowery and Max Snider, who entered the game having scored 30 and 40 points respectively through two games, combined to total 11 points against Jackson.

The Indians established their presence early with a 13-5 first-quarter lead with three baskets from the three-point line. The Rams ended the opening period down 15-10 after a layup from Snider.

Snider opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to put the Rams within two points. However, Jackson answered back with two three-pointers from Deck to grow the Indians’ lead to 21-13 with less than six minutes remaining in the first half.

The Rams closed the second quarter with a 11-6 rally but the Indians went into halftime with their lead intact at 27-24 after Rulo’s inside shot attempt at the buzzer was blocked by Ivy.

The Rams came back to take a 39-38 lead with 1:21 left in the third quarter, but it was short-lived. Kolton Thoma hit a three-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter to keep Jackson up 43-41 entering the final period.

Scott City was held without a basket until Watson sank a three-pointer with 1:36 left in the game to put the Rams within seven points. Watson fouled out with 1:14 left in the game and the Rams were down 51-45, finishing with seven points.

Scott City will play for third place on Monday for the first time since 2004. Jackson will look to win the tournament title for the first time since 2013, which was the last time they defeated Cape Central in the final.

The two rivals will meet for the third straight title tilt. Despite being the higher seed, the Indians will enter the matchup with an underdog mentality, looking to avenge their previous defeat in the SEMO Conference Tournament.

“We’re looking to upset Cape,” Deck said. “As we play together, I think we have a really good chance.”