Jackson boys basketball team grabs spot in district final

~ The top-seeded Indians started slow but gained traction for a 71-39 win

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- The Jackson boys basketball team had not played a game in nine days.

It showed in the first 10 minutes of the Indians' Class 5 District 1 semifinal game against Fox on Thursday night at Seckman High School.

Jackson did not play like a top seed as it trailed the upstart Warriors 14-10 early in the second quarter.

But eventually the rust turned into a rout. Jackson followed up a 10-point first quarter with 31 points in the second quarter and cruised to a 71-39 victory.

The Indians will attempt to defend their district championship Saturday against Oakville in a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. Oakville edged Poplar Bluff 68-66 in the other Class 5 District 1 semifinal Thursday.

"We came out slow tonight," said Jackson junior Blake Reynolds, who led a balanced Indian attack with 19 points. "We did not have much intensity and had too many turnovers and did not rotate well."

Jackson coach Darrin Scott was forced to use an early timeout.

"Fox did a great job at the start of the game," Scott said. "They played under control and did a good job of executing offensively."

The Indians eventually turned the game around with a 10-0 run in a time span of just a minute and seven seconds midway during the second quarter. Jackson took the lead for good on a basket by Braden Wendel after a missed free throw by Josh Daume. Karson King had a three-point play during the run, and Wendel gave Jackson a 32-20 advantage with three minutes left in the half.

The Indians outscored Fox 31-11 in the second quarter and led 41-23 at halftime.

"I think the key was that we were able to speed them up," Reynolds said. "They were playing at an uncomfortable pace for them, and we were able to score a lot of points inside."

The paint points added up for the Indians, who scored the first six points of the second half. The fourth quarter was played with a running clock.

"We did a better job of pressuring in the second quarter," Scott said. "I think we came out ready to play, but we really got it going with the 2-2-1 [zone] in the second quarter. We did a better job of attacking to score."

King and Brandon Leuders were in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively, as all five starters scored at least nine points.

Jacob Drysdale had 17 points for Fox, which finished the season with an 8-15 record. No other Warrior player had more than six points.

Jackson takes a 22-5 record into Saturday night's district championship game against Oakville (18-6), which features 6-foot-10 St. Louis University recruit Austin Gillmann.

"I have played against him in the summer and he is tough inside," Reynolds said. "You just have to be physical with him."

Scott knows that Gillmann will be a handful inside, but he also realizes that the Tigers are far from a one-man team.

"The big guy has great hands and can score around the basket and defend the paint," Scott said. "But I think No. 12 (Ervin Sarajic) is the key for them. He really does a good job of attacking the basket. We need to win the battle of the paint and also get out on their shooters and do a good job on the boards."

Fox 12 11 11 4 -- 39

Jackson 10 31 22 8 -- 71

FOX -- Jacob Drysdale 17, Austin Laslo 6, Ra'Monz Jones 4, Josh Tipton 3, Willie Buskuehl 2, Adam Basler 2, Jonathan Ogilvy 2, Sam Bekemeier 2, Griffin Turnbough 1. FG: 15, FT: 9-14, Fouls: 17. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none.)

JACKSON -- Blake Reynolds 19, Karson King 13, Brandon Lueders 11, Josh Daume 9, Braden Wendel 9, Connor Shepard 5, Calvin Lysell 2, Josh Friess 2, Terry Venable 1. FG: 28, FT: 11-17, Fouls: 16. (3-pointers: King (2), Daume, Wendel. Fouled out: none.)