C6D1: Jackson uses fast start to blow by Lindbergh

ARNOLD - The Jackson Indians never trailed as they downed the Lindbergh Flyers 47-28 on Saturday at Fox High School in Arnold.

The Indians started the game on the right foot as they quickly jumped out to a 9-0 lead just minutes into the contest.

“My favorite thing as a coach is when you draw up a game plan and the players just follow it flawlessly,” Jackson coach Adam Stoneking said. “Everything we wanted to do today offensively and defensively we either tried to execute it or we executed it. We didn’t go off script at all.”

Stoneking said they made it an emphasis to limit Lindbergh’s Rory Conboy.

“That was our main concern because she is a really really good player,” Stoneking said. “We wanted to make sure that if she caught it we were underneath her so she couldn’t go baseline.”

The Indians held Conboy, who came in averaging 15 points a game, to just 4 points.

Jackson held a commanding 20-8 lead after the first quarter and took a 28-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Stoneking said offensively they wanted to force Lindbergh to make mistakes to create easy buckets.

“We talked a lot about how we don’t want to stall,” Stoneking said. “But, at the same time if you can get them worried about your stall, they start making mistakes and start doing things they don’t normally do. In the first half, we did a great job.”

Jackson would continue to roll in the second half as they led 38-20 after three before winning 47-28.

Stoneking credited his team for staying focused despite being up by as many as 24 late in the fourth.

“I don’t think you’re ever ok no matter what the score is,” Stoneking said.

Katie Waller led the way for the Indians with 18 points in the win.

“They tried to face guard Katie and she did a great job of not trying to push when it wasn’t there,” Stoneking said. “She let the game come to her.”

Following up Waller’s 18-point night was Holland Guilliams with 12 points on 3 made threes, Camryn Alsdorf with 8 points, Aubrey Brothers with 4 points, Maci Wendel with 3 points and Katy St. John with 2 points.

Jackson (20-7) will take on the winner of Cor Jesu Academy and Oakville in the Class 6 District 1 Championship at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7 at Fox High School.

“We want to get two more wins,” Stoneking said. “We’re trying to get to the final four and then see what happens.”