Jackson girls basketball team ends Poplar Bluff's district reign

Had the Jackson girls basketball team tried to cut down the nets after winning its first Class 5 District 1 title in five years Friday night, there may only have been one worth salvaging.

The Indians would have been left snipping at charred twine on one end.

Jackson nearly set off the fire alarms in its own gymnasium when it connected on six consecutive 3-point attempts in a decisive second quarter. The scorching exhibition gave the Indians both the lead and control on their way to a 58-39 victory against four-time defending district champion Poplar Bluff.

"This is a huge deal. I think having lost over and over, it means that much more now," said Jackson senior Dru Haertling, who saw Poplar Bluff end her previous two seasons.

Poplar Bluff handed Jackson a 38-36 overtime loss in last year's final at Central High School. That came after a late 3-pointer ended the Indians' season 45-42 in the semifinal round the previous year in Poplar Bluff.

Haertling and junior Danielle Daume both finished with 18 points for Jackson, which improved to 19-6 with its seventh consecutive victory.

"That was hard," Daume said about last year's season-ending overtime loss. "We just came in tonight and didn't want that to happen again. I think that was driving us."

Jackson finished with just 15 field goals, but eight of those came from behind the arc. In fact, the Indians shot 67 percent from 3-point range and 32 percent inside the arc.

"That's the best we've shot all year," Jackson first-year coach Tyler Abernathy said about his team's 8 of 12 shooting from 3-point range.

While Friday's percentage was off the charts, Jackson had hit for nine 3-pointers in its semifinal win against Seckman.

"We've got really good shooters, and we were due to get hot," Abernathy said. "And tonight we stepped up in a pressure situation and hit big shots."

The victory came just three weeks after the top-seeded Indians were dealt a 44-33 loss to Poplar Bluff. It's the last time Jackson lost.

The Mules scored the first four points in Friday's championship game and led 12-9 after the first quarter. Abernathy was surprised Poplar Bluff came out in a sagging zone after playing man-to-man defense in the previous game, and he thought his team was shooting too quickly on its possessions.

"We didn't move the ball enough and were holding it too long," Abernathy said. "So I told them after the first quarter, 'Don't hold it. Either shoot, pass it or dribble it, but don't be a ball holder.'"

The Indians came out of the huddle and immediately got the ball inside to 6-foot-1 senior Connor King, who was fouled while shooting. She made one free throw to close the gap to 12-10.

It looked like the Indians might have adopted a strategy of pounding the ball inside to King, but instead the Indians started their long-range exhibition.

Senior Rachel Hodo, who had come off the bench, gave Jackson its first lead when she sank a 3-pointer from the left corner with 7 minutes, 18 seconds left in the second quarter.

It was the first of three for Hodo in the Indians' 3-point outburst. All of her nine points came in the second quarter.

"We were trying to pound it inside, but they were tripling every time I caught the ball," King said. "And they were hitting. We were taking good shots. There was no change in game plan. They were just taking what was open."

All six of the 3-pointers came from the left side of the court after the Indians worked the ball against the zone.

"I guess it was just a hot spot tonight," Hodo said.

Abernathy said Hodo had been shooting every morning before school for the past month and thought the work was about to pay dividends.

"I felt she was going to have a good game," Abernathy said. "When she made those 3s, you could just see everybody else, like, 'All right, here we go.'"

Poplar Bluff regained the lead on its ensuing possession on a basket by Danielle Farmer, but Hodo immediately trumped her with another 3-pointer from the corner to give Jackson a 16-14 lead at the 6:34 mark.

"When one starts making it, it creates other people to get open, and they start making it," Hodo said. "Just the whole team gets hot."

The basket started a 10-0 run, and the Indians were ahead to stay.

Jackson made it three consecutive possessions with 3-pointers when Haertling also hit for a 19-14 lead.

Daume followed with baskets the next two times down the floor, first hitting a deuce before also hitting a 3 for a 23-14 lead.

"I don't know if we've ever had a streak like that this season," said Daume, who had 34 points and seven 3-pointers in the two district games. "Special things happen in big games."

Poplar Bluff senior Kelsey Bates ended the point run with a 3-pointer, but Hodo nullified that with another trey.

The Mules' Sara Eyler sank two free throws, but Haertling made it 6 of 6 on 3-pointers in the second quarter for a 29-19 lead with 3:04 left in the period.

Jackson took a 31-21 lead into halftime and held a double-figure lead the remainder of the game.

The advantage grew to 17 points in the third quarter, and Poplar Bluff got no closer than 12 points, 42-30, in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Poplar Bluff shot 29 percent from the floor for the game.

"They controlled the boards, and we had a difficult time scoring," Poplar Bluff coach Kirk Chronister said.

Poplar Bluff finished its season at 18-9.

"They had some kids off the bench come in and play well for them," Chronister said, referring to the likes of Hodo.

It was the third time the teams met this season. Jackson beat the Mules 41-37 in the season-opening Farmington Invitational.

Hodo was among the Indians pulling for Friday's third meeting between the rivals.

"I wanted it to be Bluff," Hodo said. "They've always been our biggest competition since eighth grade. It feels really great. We want to keep going and get as far as we can."

Jackson will face perennial power St. Joseph's Academy in the sectional round 6 p.m. Friday at the Farmington Civic Center. St. Joseph's defeated Ursuline Academy 84-54 in Saturday's district title game.

Class 5 District 1

Championship game

Jackson 58, Poplar Bluff 39

Poplar Bluff 12 9 8 10 -- 39

Jackson 9 22 11 16 -- 58

POPLAR BLUFF (39) -- Makala Che McCauley 4, Kelsey Bates 9, Danielle Farmer 9, Sara Eyler 5, Marissa Webb 8, Cassidy Harris 4. FG 14, FT 8-12, F 17. (3-pointers: Bates 3. Fouled out: none)

JACKSON (58) -- Dru Haertling 18, Rachel Hodo 9, Emily Davidson 2, Connor King 9, Danielle Daume 18, Megan Williams 2. FG 15, FT 20-26, F 16. (3-pointers: Haertling 2, Hodo 3, Daume 3. Fouled out: none)