Indians rally, wear down Hornets in quarterfinal

~ Jackson overcame an early 10-point deficit in 95-70 win against Advance.

Sixth-seeded Advance used dribble penetration and movement away from the ball to build an early 10-point first quarter lead over No. 3 Jackson on Wednesday at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, but the Indians eventually caught on and wore the Hornets down in a 95-70 quarterfinal win at the Show Me Center.

The Hornets (4-4) led for the game's first 11 minutes, and Jackson (8-3) took its first lead with 3:24 left in the second quarter. The game was tied midway through the third quarter before Jackson finally took control of the game.

"We felt like if we didn't guard well and move our feet and be in the right position and be active they'd score on us," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "They can put the ball on the floor, penetrate and kick. That's something we didn't guard very well obviously.

"We tried to increase our ball pressure which made us be undisciplined and allow penetration, which fell into what they're good at. The second half we did a much better job taking away their penetration and forced them to make jump shots."

Jackson will face No. 2 Notre Dame on Friday in the semifinals.

Both teams used the 3-point shot effectively in the early going. The teams hit three 3's apiece in the opening quarter, and Jackson hit five first-half 3-pointers to Advance's four.

Perhaps the biggest 3-pointer of the game came in the waning seconds of the opening half. Jackson junior Jake Leet beat the halftime buzzer to give the Indians a 48-47 lead heading into the break. Advance had led 45-40 late in the half.

Leet kept the Indians in the game in the opening half with 20 points at the break. Much of his offense came from dribble penetration.

"He's very aggressive, and this is the best his back's felt in a while which also helped his aggressiveness," Scott said. "I thought he attacked the hoop well tonight."

The teams traded the lead four times in the opening minutes of the second half. Following Alex Steil's basket that tied the game 56-56, Jackson scored the next 12 points to gain some breathing room.

Matt Lang and Leet hit 3-pointers to bookend the run, which also featured some good inside play from Steven Spradlin and Antonio Garritano. Jackson's lead dipped below double-figures just once more in the third as the Indians wore down the Hornets.

"It seemed like we didn't get tired," Scott said. "Maybe it was depth, but in the third quarter I didn't sub much. Our guys early gave us good minutes so we could stay fresh."

Trailing by 15 heading into the fourth quarter, Advance managed just 10 points in the final quarter. The Hornets turned the ball over and over in the final quarter and could not make up the difference.

"We lost a little energy, and they took advantage of some things," Advance coach Joe Shoemaker said. "They did a good job on the boards and transition baskets. The three things tonight which killed us were offensive rebounds, turnovers and transition baskets."

Jackson had the clear height advantage, especially with the return of Hunter Grantham. The Indians' inside trio of 6-foot-6 Grantham, 6-5 Garritano and 6-4 Spradlin combined for 39 points. Grantham and Garritano had 14 points apiece, and Spradlin added 11.

Grantham did not play in Jackson's opener, and did not start against the Hornets. The Indians were already without 6-7 Spencer Goodman heading into the game.

"He adds to our depth and to our size," Scott said of Grantham. "He gives us a lot of leadership. He's a vocal leader, an active leader on the floor."

Leet's size advantage over Advance's guards may have been the biggest problem for the Hornets. Rusty Hendricks stands just 5-8 at the point for the Hornets, and Jacob Bond stands 5-11.

"We struggled closing him out," Shoemaker said. "He got some open looks on 3's and dribble penetration. It's hard to guard when you have 5-11 on 6-3."

Leet led all scorers with 26 points. Jackson had seven players with eight or more points.

"From that standpoint, we've been improving," Scott said of the balanced scoring. "We just have to keep improving and getting better."

Four players scored in double figures for Advance, led by Steil's 19 points. Adam Baker added 13 points, Trenton Moses had 12 and Bond had 10.

Advance will face Scott City in the fifth-place semifinals on Friday.

Jackson 95, Advance 70

Advance 27 20 13 10 -- 70

Jackson 23 25 27 20 -- 95

ADVANCE (70) -- Alex Steil 19, Jacob Bond 10, Adam Baker 13, Rusty Hendricks 8, Trenton Moses 12, Nate Middleton 3, David VanGennip 5. FG 28, FT 9-11, F 16 (3-pointers: Baker 1, VanGennip 1, Middleton 1. Fouled out: none)

JACKSON (95) -- Jake Leet 26, Hunter Grantham 14, Antonio Garritano 14, Steven Spradlin 11, Marcus Harris 9, Matt Lang 8, Kyle Keith 4, Caleb Guilliams 9. FG 34, FT 19-26, F 13 (3-pointers: Leet 2, Lang 2, Guilliams 2, Harris 1. Fouled out: none)