Indians avenge loss to Knights with 62-44 win

It has been more than two months since Jackson started its season with a 67-55 loss to Farmington at the Farmington Tournament.

Since that loss, the Indians have won 18 of 21 games with their three losses all coming to state-ranked teams. Friday night the Indians got a little revenge by routing Farmington 62-44 at Jackson in a matchup of district foes.

"The first game of the year they knocked us off," Jackson guard Brad Eaton said. "This time we wanted to show them we could play. We wanted to show the whole district."

Friday's win should mean the Indians will enter the district tournament as a No. 2 or No. 3 seed, thus avoiding district favorite Poplar Bluff in the first round.

"You don't want to run up against them in the first round," Jackson coach Mike Kiehne said of Bluff.

Jackson (18-4) came out firing on all cylinders on Friday. The Indians led 10-2 with three of their first four baskets coming off lay-ins.

"We talked about attacking this game," Kiehne said. "The first time we were back on our heels."

Farmington fought back and cut the lead to 16-13 late in the first quarter. Jackson still was only up by four early in the second before making a spurt to build a 35-25 halftime lead.

In the third quarter Jackson took over with a 17-3 run to spread its lead to 52-28. David King went on a 7-0 run for the Knights to cut into Jackson's lead, but the Knights would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

"We started out with great intensity," Eaton said. "Then we started losing focus so we had to regain it."

Farmington tried several times to press the Indians after falling behind, but Jackson had no problems handling the pressure. The Indians were able to get several easy baskets off press breaks.

Kiehne said playing against Charleston, a 63-49 loss on Tuesday, helped prepare the Indians to beat Farmington's press.

"I think really the Charleston game helped us because of the speed and athleticism of the game," he said.

Eaton led four Jackson double-figure scorers with 14 points. Jack Puisis and Tyler McNeely had 11 points apiece and Jason Schafer added 10.

Kiehne said the Indians' balanced scoring is what has made them so successful this season.

"That's something we were doing when we were on a roll," he said.

Jackson 62, Farmington 44

Farmington 13 12 10 9 -- 44

Jackson 18 17 19 8 -- 62

FARMINGTON (44) -- David King 14, Ben Arand 11, Colin Eaton 3, Matt Usherwood 2, Dwayne Glaspy 2, Nick Brewer 2, Steven Barks 3, Harry Peterson 3, Schuyler Semar 2, FG 15, FT 10-16, F 14 (3-pointers: Eaton 1. Fouled out: Usherwood)

JACKSON (62) -- Brad Eaton 14, Jack Puisis 11, Tyler McNeely 11, Jason Schafer 10, Nick Fiehler 5, Tyler Beussink 2, Adam Ross 4, Marc Lumsden 3, Ryan Mirly 2. FG 23, FT 14-20, F 14 (3-pointers: Eaton 1, Fiehler 1. Fouled out: none)

JV: Jackson 54, Farmington 46