C6D1: Harris perfect from charity stripe as Indians ground Flyers in semis

ST. LOUIS — Against the pressure of the home crowd, Jackson senior Blayne Harris remained calm and composed as he sank all 13 free throws, including eight in the fourth quarter, to lead the Indians past the Lindbergh Flyers 62-55 in the semifinal round of the Class 6 District 1 Tournament on Saturday, March 2, at Lindbergh High School in St. Louis.

“I expect that from him,” Jackson head coach Kory Thoma said. “He's an awesome player. He’s a senior leader on this team and he had some good free throws last year for us to get to state.”

Jackson�s Judd Thoma drives toward the basket against Lindbergh in the semifinal round of the Class 6 District 1 Tournament on Saturday, March 2, at Lindbergh High School in St. Louis.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Harris finished the game with a team-high 23 points. Kole Deck scored 18 points while Judd Thoma added eight points for the Indians.

“Kole started out hot and Blayne finished tonight,” Thoma said.

Braedon Thoma chipped in six points for the Indians but made more of an impact on the defensive end. He ended the game by diving toward the inbounds pass, intercepting the ball, and holding onto it for dear life, securing the win in the final seconds.

“I think Braedon really had a good game at point guard for us, had several steals, and played his heart out,” Thoma said.

Jackson�s Braedon Thoma holds onto the ball after making a last second steal against Lindbergh in the semifinal round of the Class 6 District 1 Tournament on Saturday, March 2, at Lindbergh High School in St. Louis.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Gavin Holdman fell into foul trouble early and the Indians spent the first three quarters trailing the Flyers. His trouble turned into his advantage because when he returned to the court well-rested in the fourth quarter in time to spearhead a rally where the Indians went from trailing 44-37 to leading 54-53 with a minute to go in the game.

Thoma said the key to the Indians’ fourth-quarter rally was defensive pressure and using timeouts earlier in the second half to maintain a balanced level of energy expenditure. Not only did both the tying and go-ahead basket come off the hands of Holdman, but he was a key component to the defensive pressure.

“I mean he was in foul trouble early in this game so he had plenty of legs and plenty of energy,” Thoma said. “He was the point of my press and he had super energy so that was huge.”

Jackson�s Gavin Holdman leaps for an layup against Lindbergh in the semifinal round of the Class 6 District 1 Tournament on Saturday, March 2, at Lindbergh High School in St. Louis.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

As the Lindbergh court returns to its neutral state, the Indians be back on Tuesday, March 5, to take on Cardinal Ritter for the C6D1 title. Cardinal Ritter won the Class 5 state championship last year and made the jump to Class 6 this year.