Jackson boys basketball team cruises past Central

JACKSON -- Clinging to a two-point lead in the final seconds of the third quarter, Jackson needed something to gain some separation.

The Indians tried to go inside on their final possession of the period, but nothing was there.

So Garrett Walker retrieved the pass at the top of the key, took a step and heaved an off-balance 3-pointer between two Central players as time expired. The shot fell through the net and sparked a 20-7 run for the Indians, who defeated the Tigers 60-45 and earned their seventh straight win in a SEMO Conference boys basketball game Tuesday at Jackson High School.

"I threw it over the double-team, and I looked up just in time to see it go in. I was out of my head at that point," said Walker, who shouted and pumped his fist in exclamation amidst a roar from the Jackson student section. "That was huge for us."

The 6-foot-2 junior was a perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and was 4 of 7 (57 percent) from the field.

"He's been shooting the ball much better," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said about Walker. "That's something we felt like he'd be able to do earlier in the year that he wasn't doing as well, and now he's shooting the ball well. So he's got some confidence."

Walker also scored back-to-back baskets that sparked a 9-0 run for Jackson (19-5, 6-1) in the opening minutes of the game. Central (16-6, 2-3) went on a 10-4 spurt to close the gap to 13-10 heading into the second period but never could catch the Indians.

Jackson's Blake Reynolds shoots for three points in the third quarter against Cape Central Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 in Jackson. (Glenn Landberg)

Six straight points from Blake Reynolds, who finished with a game-high 23 points, and a pair of free throws from Walker pushed the Indians' lead to nine points 3 minutes, 41 seconds into the second quarter, but the Tigers never fell behind by double digits in the second period. Jackson carried a 29-23 lead into halftime.

Central committed seven of its 13 turnovers in the first half.

"Every possession matters, and it could be the difference in winning or losing," Central coach Drew Church said. "I can think of three or four times that we guarded for 30 seconds, got a big rebound and then gave it up. ... Those are mental mistakes and just trying to get into a hurry too much."

A trey by Peyton Montgomery cut the Indians' lead to 37-36 with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Jackson extended its lead to five points heading into the final period.

Andre Statam knocked down a 3-pointer at the 5:20 mark of the fourth quarter to draw Central back within five points, but Braden Wendel knocked down back-to-back baskets that started a 14-4 run for Jackson in the final 4:32 of the game. Wendel scored six of his 11 points in the final period.

"In the second half, in particular, I felt like we rebounded really well," Scott said. "... I felt like we bothered them some defensively by just being long and not letting them make easy passes."

After shooting 9 of 26 (35 percent) from the floor in the first half, the Indians were 11 of 22 (50 percent) in the second half.

Cape Central's Al Young drives past Jackson's Blake Reynolds to shoot for two points in the first quarter Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 in Jackson. (Glenn Landberg)

"In the first half, they were playing that zone, and we got some decent looks that didn't go in. ... I thought in the second half, we did a good job of making sure we got good shots," Scott said.

The Tigers finished 15 of 48 (31 percent) from the field and were led by Al Young's 16 points. Statam added 13 points for Central but fouled out with less than three minutes left in the game.

"They got too many offensive rebounds," Church said. "We couldn't just quite get over the hump. We had it at a two-point game late in the third. ... It was just a turnover here, and then they make a big shot. But they're a good team. They've got strong kids. They play physical. Reynolds is very good inside. I thought our kids' effort was good. We just couldn't quite get over the hump."

The Indians, whose last loss came Jan. 20 at home against Poplar Bluff, face another tough challenge Friday against host New Madrid County Central. Scott said defense has been the key during his team's seven-game winning streak.

"This was a huge game, a rivalry game with conference implications," Scott said. "For us, it's just a matter of playing well this time of the year."

Central 10 13 15 7 -- 45

Jackson 13 16 14 17 -- 60

CENTRAL (45) -- Al Young 16, Andre Statam 13, Chase Hagerty 8, Peyton Montgomery 6, Blake Harris 2. FG 15-48, FT 12-15, F 19. (3-pointers: Montgomery 2, Statam 1. Fouled out: Statam.)

Jackson (60) -- Blake Reynolds 23, Garrett Walker 16, Braden Wendel 11, Connor Shepard 8, Jacob Smith 2. FG 20-48, FT 15-22, F 12. (3-pointers: Walker 2, Reynolds 2, Wendel 1. Fouled out: Smith.)

JV -- Central won 53-42