Jackson recovers to claim third place at Holiday Classic

By SCOTT ROSCOVIUS ~ Southeast Missourian

Coming out of halftime with a slim three-point lead over Sikeston, the Jackson girls basketball team was looking for a spark.

Cassidi Tomsu provided it.

Tomsu, a sophomore guard, scored eight points in a 13-1 run that enabled the Indians to open a 36-21 lead over the Bulldogs, and Jackson held on for a 61-48 victory to claim third place in the Kelso Supply Holiday Classic on Thursday at the Show Me Center.

"I couldn't have done it without my teammates," said Tomsu, who ended up with a game-high 24 points. "If we didn't come out with that intensity, then it probably wouldn't have happened. ... Coach said we had to come out with a different attitude in the second half, so everyone changed their thinking and we got a good, positive start to the second half."

Jackson sophomore Kayla KeithCQ goes up for a basket and draws a foul from Sikeston´s Mikala NicholsCQ in the second half of the Indians' win over the Bulldogs in the third place game of the Kelso Supply Holiday Classic Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Show Me Center. (Adam Vogler)

Sikeston (2-4), which committed 33 turnovers in dropping a 60-19 semifinal decision to Saxony Lutheran the night before, came out aggressive from the start and surprised the Indians (4-2), who struggled while building a 23-20 halftime lead.

"I didn't feel we came out real crisp, but a lot of that was due to Sikeston," Jackson coach Tyler Abernathy said. "I gotta give them a lot of credit. They came out and played hard. They created some turnovers, they made us rush a little bit, and it was a dogfight."

Even with a 36-21 cushion midway through the third quarter, Jackson couldn't put the pesky Bulldogs away. Sikeston chipped away and trailed just 42-36 early in the final quarter.

But then it was Rachel Crites' turn to heat up, and the Jackson junior connected on three 3-pointers in an 11-2 run that made the score 53-38 and effectively squelched Sikeston's comeback bid.

"Our girls battled their tails off to cut it to [six] and had them, I think, on the ropes," said Sikeston coach Matt Schonhoff. "But they spaced us out a bit there toward the end, and they hit some 3's and pretty much closed the door on us."

Crites ended the game with 15 points -- 11 coming in the fourth quarter. She and Tomsu combined for 39 of Jackson's 61 points.

"We came out a little flat," said Tomsu. "But eventually we got the hang of it and started communicating."

Abernathy credited the win to his squad's quick start to the second half.

"I felt that getting the ball right after halftime and hitting that first 3 was a big play," he said. "And then we get the steal that leads to a layup, and I thought that was very, very important."

When the Bulldogs stretched their defense out to cover the 3-point line, Jackson's guard eagerly fed the ball inside to sophomore Kayla Keith, who scored 10 points.

"When Kayla got the ball, it was almost always from Rachel, because they were closing out so hard on her," Abernathy said. "Rachel's getting more into game shape, and she's getting into a better rhythm out there."

Abernathy added the Indians' 1-3-1 defense caused some confusion for Sikeston offensively and contributed to several of Sikeston's 20 turnovers.

"We haven't played it much this year, and I don't think they've seen it a lot," he said. "I think it bothered them a little bit, and by the time they started to figure out how to attack it, [the lead] was 12 or 14 and we were in pretty good shape after that."

Erica Peet led Sikeston with 15 points and was pleased with how her team responded after being blown out the night before.

"We wanted to come out hard and try to get third place," Peet said. "Coach wanted me to be more aggressive than what I was [Wednesday], because when I'm aggressive inside, it makes a difference."

Sikeston 11 9 13 15 -- 48

Jackson 12 11 17 21 -- 61

SIKESTON (48) -- Kiera Steward 2, Dominique Roach 2, Tyra Bonner 11, Mikala Nichols 7, Erica Peet 15, Ariana Beard 3, Mirando Harrison 2, Tyeshia Mitchell 6. FG: 19. FT: 9-15. Total fouls: 13. (3-pointers: Nichols 1. Fouled out: none.)

JACKSON (61) -- Cassidi Tomsu 24, Rachel Crites 15, Autumn Reid 8, Emily Gartman 2, Madison Eckley 2, Kayla Keith 10. FG: 24. FT: 7-10. Total fouls: 12. (3-pointers: Crites 3, Tomsu 3. Fouled out: none.)