JACKSON SETS TONE FOR DISTRICT WITH WIN OVER CENTRAL; INDIANS OUTLAST TIGERS 54-51

Cape Central High School will be hosting the Class 4A, District 1 Tournament at the end of the month.

Those wondering what the atmosphere might be like during those pressure-packed district contests, should have been at the Tiger Fieldhouse Tuesday night.

With the stands filled equally with noisy Jackson and Central fans, the Indians came away with an important 54-51 victory after a last-second 3-pointer by Central's Travis (T.J.) Williamson missed its mark.

The win virtually assures Jackson of the No. 1 seed in the upcoming district tourney and keeps the Indians in the running for the SEMO Conference title. Jackson is currently 18-4 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

"You can tell from this game that the district is wide open," said Jackson coach Steve Burk. "I'm glad we're the No. 1 seed, but this district is wide open."

Central, which came into the game undefeated against district opponents, fell to 8-13 overall and 1-3 in the conference. The loss also dropped the Tigers record at home to 1-6.

Shooting was the deciding factor in the game. The Tigers shot 19 more times than the Indians, but shot an abysmal 38 percent (21 of 56). Williamson, who scored 25 points in a 51-46 victory over the Indians in the University High School Christmas Tournament, led Central again with 14 points.

"He gets up for us," Burk said with a smile. "Against us he's shot the ball well from the outside as well as penetrating. When you've got that combination going it's pretty tough to guard him."

The Indians shot 51 percent from the floor (19 of 37), and made several big shots when they needed them. Jackson's two post players, 6-5 senior Jeff Walter and 6-6 junior Cory Daniel -- led the Indians with 15 and 14 points respectively.

"Cape didn't shoot the ball well and if they make some shots, they win the game," said Burk. "They had some good looks that didn't go down.

"That last shot had a chance to go in; it just didn't fall."

Williamson's final shot from 21-feet away wasn't too bad, considering the Tigers had only 3.9 seconds to set up a final play. But with a Jackson defender in his face, Williamson's shot banked off the backboard and caromed off the rim and out of bounds as time expired.

"T.J. had a good look at the basket and I guarantee you he was trying to bank it," said Central coach Brett Reutzel. "I've seen him shoot (that shot) in practice."

Central, which made just 3 of 18 3-pointers in the game, missed all eight of its attempts in the final quarter.

In contrast, Jackson missed just four shots combined in the final quarter. The Indians made all four of their 2-point attempts, made 8 of 10 free throws and shot 1 of 3 from behind the 3-point-line over the final eight minutes.

The one 3-pointer -- made by Jackson junior Doug Cary -- may have been the biggest play of the game.

The two teams entered the fourth quarter knotted 35-35, but Jackson used an 11-3 run to open up the biggest lead of the game at 46-38 with 3:04 left.

Jackson sophomore Levi Bollinger sparked the run with two short jumpers early in the quarter after the Indians broke Central's press.

"Levi's aggressive and takes the ball to the basket as well as anybody we have," Burk said. "He made some nice plays for us and helped us defensively."

Sparked by two steals from Travis Cox, Central answered with a 7-0 run to close the score to 46-45 with 2:12 left.

That's when Cary came through.

After struggling with the Tigers' full-court pressure the last few possessions, the Indians finally got the ball past halfcourt where Cary was set up for an open 3-pointer. The 5-11 Cary took a pass from the middle of the court -- and without hesitation -- quickly drilled the shot that appeared to knock the wind out of the Tigers' sails with exactly two minutes left.

"Doug stepped up and pulled the trigger which is what you have to do," said Burk. "You can't think about it and wonder if this is one I should take or not. He hit several big three's for us."

Cary drilled three 3-pointers in the game and finished with 11 points.

"Nobody was on me and I just felt like I had to take it," Cary said of the shot that put the Indians ahead 49-45. "I was shooting pretty good for the game and I was pretty confident so I just let it fly. It was a real momentum-turner."

Following two free throws by Jackson's Justin Keen that put the Indians ahead 51-45 with 1:21 left, Central cut the margin to three points twice before the final horn.