Jackson falters in shootout

~ The Indians dropped another game to a St. Louis area school.

Parkway South sophomore Scott Pohle said his team knew it needed to use its speed against Jackson on Saturday.

"We wanted to move the ball and be quick and fast," Pohle said. "We thought that they were a little bit bigger and we were a little bit smaller, so we could run on them. And I think we did that."

Pohle and the rest of his Parkway South boys basketball team used their speed to control a taller Jackson squad and come away with a 68-52 win at the 13th annual Tiger Shootout.

Pohle poured in 20 points, and his teammate Ben Hoener netted 19 points, as the Patriots improved to 14-0.

It was the second time this season that Jackson has lost to a team from West St. Louis County.

The Indians (10-5) also dropped a contest to Webster Groves by 21 points in the Pepsi Showcase on Dec. 22.

Indians coach Darrin Scott said Saturday's game was another learning experience for his boys.

"The two teams we've played [from St. Louis] have really played well and have showed us our flaws and what we need to work on," Scott said. "Any time you see things you've got to work on, that's good. We're still in January right now."

Parkway South led 16-15 after the first quarter. It extended the lead in the second with the help of Pohle and Hoener, who netted eight points in the quarter.

Hoener put his team up 26-21 when he scored with a little less than 4 minutes remaining in the first half.

Pohle gave the Patriots a 30-21 advantage with 2:45 remaining before the break when he intercepted a Marcus Harris pass that Harris made after he hustled to save a ball headed out of bounds. Pohle was right there to grab the ball and put it in for an easy basket.

"He just hustled down the court, and it just happened that he threw the ball right to me," Pohle said.

Indians senior Hunter Grantham knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to help his team back within six at 30-24 with 1:30 remaining before halftime.

But the Patriots scored two consecutive baskets to increase their lead to 10 points for a 34-24 lead at halftime.

Parkway South opened the third by scoring back-to-back baskets by Pohle and Hoener, giving the Patriots a 38-25 lead in the first minute.

"Pohle is a heck of a shooter," Jackson senior Matt Lang said. "He can play."

Scott then called a timeout after the 4-0 run with 6:22 remaining in the third, and it helped to spark a rally.

The Indians pulled within five points at 38-33 on a basket by Leet, a 3-pointer by Leet and a 3-pointer by Lang.

But Parkway South battled right back with a rally of its own. The Patriots went on a 15-6 run to close out the quarter, and rolled to the 16-point win.

"That's what a good team does," Lang said. "It's difficult to come back to a good team when you're down 10. They battled back like they should. We had the momentum but they just kind of battled back and took it away.

"We've just got to play our game. We've still got a lot of season left and we're going to continue to play together and get better as a team."

Parkway South 16 18 19 15 -- 68

Jackson 15 9 15 13 -- 52

Parkway South (68) -- Ben Hoener 19, Mark Wright 6, Kevin Pohle 6, Kevin Combs 2, Phil Atkins 6, Antonio Bryant 9, Scott Pohle 20. FG 28, FT 10-12, F 11 (3-pointers: Pohle 2. Fouled out: none)

Jackson (52) -- Marcus Harris 1, Cody Green 2, Spencer Goodman 12, Matt Lang 5, Jake Leet 15, Hunter Grantham 13, Antonio Garritano 4. FG 20, FT 6-9, F 14 (3-pointers: Goodman 1, Leet 3, Grantham 1. Fouled out: none)