Central rolls past Jackson in rematch

It was suggested to Jackson boys basketball coach Darrin Scott that his Indians ran into a buzz saw.

Scott didn't disagree after the Indians were dismantled 68-50 by rival Central on Tuesday night at the Show Me Center.

"I thought they played very well," Scott said.

The Tigers clicked on all cylinders to notch their 10th consecutive win. Central improved to 17-3 while dropping the Indians to 13-9.

"That was fun," Central senior forward James Lane said with a grin.

Jackson's Bobby Clark tries to shoot against Central's T.J. Tisdell during the first quarter Tuesday at the Show Me Center. (Fred Lynch)

Not that Lane was surprised by the lopsided contest that never was close after the first quarter.

"We worked hard, coach had us prepared and we executed," Lane said.

Central had revenge on its mind after losing to Jackson 44-41 in late December during the semifinals of the Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament.

"We wanted to get them back," Central junior forward T.J. Tisdell said. "I wasn't surprised."

Of course, the Tigers are a much different team than the one that lost the earlier nail-biter to Jackson.

That Central squad was strong up front but lacked a true point guard to handle the ball -- something no longer the case with the addition of 5-foot-10 senior Curtis Branch.

Branch, a transfer from the Jonesboro, Ark., area who is drawing Division I recruiting interest, was ineligible for the first semester.

The Tigers are 9-0 with Branch in the lineup, more often than not posting lopsided victories.

"Curtis came in and gave us a ballhandler, and he can score," Lane said.

The lightning-quick Branch put all his considerable talents on display against Jackson.

Branch scored 12 first-quarter points, hitting 5 of 8 field goals, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

Two of Branch's baskets in the opening period came on acrobatic drives during which he finished over much taller defenders, including with 34 seconds left to help Central end the quarter up 21-12.

Branch also dished off two pretty assists for layups after penetrating, something he repeated often the rest of the night.

"Curtis is good with the basketball, and he's unselfish," Central coach Drew Church said. "The last couple of games he's kind of been settling for the 3-point shot. We emphasized him getting to the basket."

Branch added two more buckets on drives into the lane along with another 3-pointer. He finished with 20 points -- 14 in a first half that ended with Central ahead 43-26 -- and eight assists.

"Branch was very good. He penetrated very well and created a lot of offense for them," Scott said.

While Branch has shown he can score in a variety of ways, he said he's happiest when setting up his teammates.

"The best part of my game is passing. I like to create," he said.

Branch said it was difficult not being able to play for the first 11 games of the season, but he used the practice time to get familiar with his new teammates.

"Sitting out the first half was hard for me," he said. "We're still getting to know each other. "But I'm glad I'm here. I like playing with these guys."

Branch, unlike his teammates, is not familiar with the Central-Jackson rivalry.

"They told me Jackson is a big rival," he said about his teammates.

Tisdell matched Branch with 14 first-half points and finished with 19. Senior guard Andrew Williams matched Branch with three 3-pointers and added 15 points.

Central hit an amazing 28 of 42 shots (66.7 percent), with 20 of the baskets either being layups or from a few feet out thanks to exceptional ball movement and passing.

"We played together, passed the ball around, hit the open man," Branch said.

Church said unselfish play has been a staple for the Tigers.

"They don't care who scores, who gets the credit, they just like to win," said Church, whose squad committed only 10 turnovers.

Senior guard Tyler Rhodes paced Jackson with 13 points. Senior forward Bobby Clark added 12. The Indians hit 18 of 46 from the floor (39.1 percent) and had a respectable 11 turnovers.

"We had a couple stretches where we didn't shoot it well," Scott said.

There were three lead changes and two ties in the first few minutes before Central began to take charge.

The Indians were ahead 10-9, but the Tigers finished the opening quarter on a 12-2 run to lead 21-12.

Central never looked back. Williams' 3-pointer off a nice feed from Branch with 7 seconds left before halftime sent the Tigers to the locker room up 43-26.

Jackson started the third quarter with six straight points, thanks to Central turnovers on its first three possessions. That gave the Indians some hope at 43-32.

But Jackson got no closer as Central re-established its dominance. It was 55-38 after three periods and the Tigers' biggest advantage was 66-41.

"Coach said if we worked hard we'd come out with a win," Branch said.

Central virtually clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Class 5 District 1 tournament that it will host.

If Jackson can get by a likely semifinal meeting with Poplar Bluff, the Indians almost certainly would gain a rematch against Central in the finals.

Central 21 22 12 13 -- 68

Jackson 12 14 12 12 -- 50

CENTRAL (68) -- Blake Ozbun 2, Andrew Williams 15, T.J. Tisdell 19, James Lane 8, Curtis Branch 20, Zach Boerboom 4. FG 28, FT 6-8, F 12. (3-pointers: Williams 3, Branch 3. Fouled out: none)

JACKSON (50) -- Caleb Newcomer 6, Tyler Rhodes 13, Zach McDowell 5, Bobby Clark 12, Brad Clary 8, John Meyer 6. FG 18, FT 9-12, F 11. (3-pointers: Newcomer 2, Rhodes 3. Fouled out: none)