Jackson boys basketball team upends top-seeded Poplar Bluff in Class 5 District 1 final

CEDAR HILL, Mo. -- For Jackson senior Jacob Smith, this district title meant a little more than the others.

Smith finished with a game-high 30 points, leading the second-seeded Indians to a 75-66 win over top-seeded Poplar Bluff in the Class 5 District 1 championship Thursday at Northwest High School.

It's Jackson's fourth straight district crown, one that Smith won't be forgetting anytime soon.

"This one definitely means the most," Smith said. "This is our senior district championship, and it just means a lot. It means the world. It's crazy. Our hard work's finally paying off."

Jackson coach Darrin Scott said he's seen his players improve tremendously throughout the year, but the fruits of their labor haven't been there. He was pleased to see it pay off at just the right time.

Jackson's Jacob Friess drives to the basket between Poplar Bluff players during the Class 5 District 1 championship game Thursday in Cedar Hill, Missouri. Jackson won 75-66.BRIAN ROSENER ~ Daily American Republic

"It was extremely gratifying to see them get two wins and win their district," Scott said. "I'm really proud of them."

Jackson advances to a state sectional at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri. The Indians will face either Webster Groves (26-1) or Saint Louis University High School (17-9).

"We're going to be the underdog going in Wednesday, which I don't know that we've ever been favored to win that game," Scott said. "We're going to let them enjoy this, and then on Wednesday we want to do just like we did tonight -- show up and compete hard.

"When you play one game, anything can happen, so we want to make sure we play our best game on Wednesday and compete and see what happens."

It was also a vindictive victory for the Indians, who let a 17-point lead slip away in a 69-65 loss against the Mules last month on the road.

Poplar Bluff coach Will Durden said the better team won Thursday's contest.

"What's been biting us all year and what we've been trying to work toward getting better at, we didn't do it today," Durden said. "We didn't get stops when we needed them, and we didn't defensive rebound."

Jackson players celebrate after their 75-66 win over Poplar Bluff in the Class 5 District 1 championship game Thursday in Cedar Hill, Missouri.BRIAN ROSENER ~ Daily American Republic

Jackson (16-13) never trailed, as Garrett Walker recorded the first points of the game on a 3-pointer from the left key with 7 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Marcedus Leech converted a conventional three-point play to pull Poplar Bluff (17-10) into a 5-5 deadlock, but the Indians answered with a 9-0 run. Smith found Stephen Irons in the left corner for a triple that capped the run and gave Jackson a 14-5 lead with 2:56 left in the period.

Willie Lucas, who led the Mules with 23 points, scored six points during an 8-3 run to close the period. Jackson carried a 17-13 lead into the second quarter.

Lucas scored in the low post to pull the Mules within a point, 26-25, before Jackson went on a 7-2 run over the final 2:30 of the first half. Desmond Morris knocked down a triple from the right elbow to give the Indians a 33-27 lead at the break.

"We hadn't given up the lead, but we were battling," Scott said. "To go up six at halftime instead of three was huge."

Rodney Houston scored underneath the basket to cap a 6-1 Poplar Bluff run over the first 1:26 of the second half, trimming the Mules' deficit to 34-33.

Jackson pushed back with a 14-7 burst, extending its lead to as many as eight in the period on a bucket by Smith with 2:18 left in the quarter. Lucas converted a conventional three-point play followed by Leech's step-back 3-pointer from the left corner in the final seconds, and the Mules pulled within two, 48-46, heading into the final period.

Leech hit another 3-pointer to tie the game at 49-all with 7:00 remaining, but Walker gave Jackson the lead for good 14 seconds later when he knocked down a 3-pointer from the right elbow.

Jackson’s Jacob Smith gets a steal in front of Poplar Bluff’s Rodney Houston during the first half of the the Class 5 District 1 championship game Thursday in Cedar Hill, Missouri. Jackson won 75-66.BRIAN ROSENER ~ Daily American Republic

The Indians were 3 of 4 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, including Pete Lake's triple from the right key that gave Jackson a 61-52 advantage with 4:45 remaining.

Matt Cline's 3-pointer at the 2:29 mark capped a 7-2 run, trimming the Mules' deficit to 68-64, but Jackson went 7-2 the rest of the way to secure the victory.

"That composure is something we've been working on, but we really haven't shown that in a game," Scott said. "Tonight that was huge."

Leech, a 6-foot-5 freshman, scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half. He finished 7 of 13 (54 percent) from the floor.

Scott said he was happy with limiting the Mules' top offensive threat to only 17 points.

"There are just so many things that you have to guard." Scott said. "We just made sure we tried to double him and keep it out of his hands as much as we could."

As a team, Poplar Bluff shot 25 of 55 (45 percent) from the floor, including 7 of 18 (39 percent) in the final quarter.

Together, Lucas and Leech accounted for 61 percent of the Mules' scoring. Durden said the lack of options on offense hindered his team in its most critical of times.

Smith finished 12 of 20 (60 percent) from the floor, including 3 of 5 in the final period. Walker and Irons, a pair of seniors, each finished with 13 points for Jackson, which shot 26 of 52 (50 percent) from the field as a team. The Indians were 9 of 16 (56 percent) from 3-point range.

"The seniors played great. I thought they led us, but then sprinkled in with that, every other kid hit a shot," Scott said. "Jacob Friess hit a big shot. Desmond Morris hit a big shot. Pete hit a big shot. And I thought they were much better mentally at knowing what we were doing. They didn't have any lapses on defense of knowing where they were supposed to be, and I thought that was huge tonight."

Jackson 17 16 15 27 -- 75

Poplar Bluff 13 14 19 20 -- 66

JACKSON (75) -- Jacob Smith 30, Garrett Walker 13, Stephen Irons 13, Cameron Hester 7, Desmond Morris 6, Jacob Friess 3, Pete Lake 3. FG 26-52, FT 14-26, F 19. (3-pointers: Morris 2, Walker 2, Irons 2, Friess 1, Smith 1, Lake 1. Fouled out: Lake.)

POPLAR BLUFF (66) -- Willie Lucas 23, Marcedus Leech 17, Rodney Houston 9, Tyler Cline 6, Tyriek Ellis 4, Tristen Francisco 3, Steven Anderson 2, Rashawn McCain 2. FG 25-55, FT 11-20, F 18. (3-pointers: Cline 2, Leech 2, Lucas 1. Fouled out: Francisco.)