Jackson boys, girls basketball team set for state sectional showdowns

The Jackson boys basketball team defeated Poplar Bluff to claim its third consecutive district title last week, and Jackson coach Darrin Scott was happy to see the fruits of his players' labor.

"I just think it shows how hard they've worked, and what they've done to get us to where we're at -- not just this bunch but the bunch we've had the last couple of years," Scott said. "I was really happy and proud of them that they could do that."

Jackson (22-6) will take on Vianney (17-11) in a Class 5 sectional at 6 p.m. today at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.

The Indians will likely look for repeat performances from seniors Braden Wendel and Blake Reynolds, who scored 21 and 27 points, respectively, in Friday's 73-59 win over the Mules.

"Braden got us off to a great start, but both of them, I thought, played like seniors, made great plays and led us," Scott said. "Some of the other guys didn't have to score as much. I thought they still did a lot of good things. Those two in particular really stepped up their game and were really ready to play in that district final, which was huge."

The Griffins are led by 6-foot-7 freshman forward Carte'Are Gordon, who's averaging 14.1 points and eight rebounds per game this season.

"He's only a freshman, but he doesn't look like a freshman. ... He's really explosive, super athletic and real active," Scott said about Gordon. "You mix him in with some other really smart guards. They've got four guys that can all shoot it. They're shooting [41 percent] from 3. They're well-coached. They guard really well, so for us, it's going to be a tough game."

Vianney competes in the Metro Catholic Conference and has suffered two losses each to Chaminade, St. Louis University High and Christian Brothers College. The Griffins won a 63-58 decision over CBC in the Class 5 District 2 final.

"Their schedule is really tough, so you can't look at their record and get a good indication of how good they are," Scott said.

The winner of today's game will advance to a state quarterfinal against either SLUH or Battle at 6 p.m. Saturday at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

Although Vianney has seven other players that stand at 6-0 or taller, Scott said the key to slowing down the Griffins starts with Gordon.

"We've just got to make sure we try not to let him catch it in spots where he's really good at. He's really good on the block, so we've got to do our work early and try not to let him catch it where he wants to be, then when he does, we've got to try to get it out of there. Our biggest thing is we try to keep the ball in the paint. Sometimes it's more penetration with some teams, and sometimes it's just post play. ... They've got multiple weapons, which makes it so hard just to focus on one guy."

Girls Class 5 sectional

Jackson faced little resistance in winning its third district crown in four years last week, and defense proved to be the team's staple.

"Since I've been here, we've stressed defense a lot, and I think sometimes at the end of the year, teams kind of cut their practice times a little bit shorter and maybe teams don't work on as much defense at the end of the year. That's something that, as a staff, we decided we didn't want to do this year," Jackson coach Tyler Abernathy said. "We wanted to be a great defensive team at the end of the year, and I think, defensively, we're playing as good as we've played all year right now."

Jackson (18-9) will face Class 5 District 2 champion Kirkwood (21-4) in a sectional at 7:45 p.m. today at Jefferson College.

Abernathy said he liked what he saw from his players on Friday, when the Indians toppled Northwest 57-27 in the district final.

"I was happy for the girls. They've been through a lot this year," Abernathy said. "Being able to win that district title was just a testament to how hard they've worked all year, how they've stuck together and how they really came together there at the end of the year."

The Pioneers are led by 6-foot sophomore Lauryn Miller, who's averaging a double-double with 17.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Kirkwood's Jordan Roundtree, a 5-9 junior guard, is also averaging double figures with 14.8 points per game.

"They are going to be, hands down, the most athletic team we've played all year," Abernathy said. "... They love to get up and down the floor. It's a full-court man press the whole time. They're just a really, really good basketball team."

The winner will advance to take on either Cor Jesu Academy or Fort Zumwalt West in a state quarterfinal at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at Lindenwood University.

Abernathy said handling Kirkwood's pressure defense will be a key factor in the game's outcome.

"If we can find a way to make it a half-court game and kind of clog up the paint a little bit and make them make contested jump shots, that's kind of the key for us," Abernathy said.