Jackson girls cool off hot Oakville

"Capture the Moment", a collection of Pulitzer Prize photographs, is currently on display at the Maryville University Library in St. Louis.

The Jackson girls basketball team visited Maryville Monday as part of the Martin Luther King Classic. The Indians did not have a "prize-winning" performance but, as has been the case in 14 of their 15 games this season, it was a winning effort as they defeated Oakville 48-40.

"We have had a lot of these games in which we play just good enough to win," Jackson coach Sam Sides said. "I certainly can't complain. I have a very inexperienced team, with just one senior [Kelly Loos] and one returning starter [Bobbie Jones], and we continue to win."

The Indians defeated a hot Oakville team which had won six of its previous seven contests.

Jackson (14-1) scored the game's first seven points and never trailed.

"We usually get off to good starts because we play with a lot of intensity," Jones said. "It was a game in which we were up by 15 points, but then I looked up at the scoreboard towards the end and it was only five. It was like, what happened?"

The Lady Indians actually led by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter, but they limped to the finish line with just two field goals in the final period. They also missed four of eight free throws, a couple on the front end of one-and-ones.

"We got after it early which is a good thing because we seemed to coast in the second half," Sides said. "The girls played really hard in the first half, and I thought they might be a little tired. We slowed it down a little, and I should have probably kept up the intensity."

Jackson led 30-18 at halftime and kept the double digit advantage for most of the game. Oakville went on a 12-1 run in the final minutes, capped by a 3-point field goal by Megan Reel with 50 seconds to play to cut the Jackson lead to 45-40.

Jackson's Loni Littlepage then missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Oakville turned the ball over on its possession. Jones followed with a layin off a baseball pass, and Loos hit a free throw for the final points of the game.

"They are bigger and stronger than we are, and they made things interesting at the end," Sides said. "We did not do a good job of finishing up the game. But this is a team which is still learning. We had six seniors last year and this year we have just one. We just needed to take better shots at the end of the game and do a better job of converting our free throws."

Jones was the only Jackson player to finish in double figures, leading all scorers with 18 points.

"This is the third year I have played in this game and this is one of my favorite gyms," Jones said. "We hadn't seen tape of Oakville and I think that was an advantage. We just went out there and played our game. It seems like we play well enough to get by."

Faith Zabek had 10 points to pace Oakville, which fell to 10-6.

"Jackson came out with great intensity and we did not," Oakville coach Paul Harrington said. "They are very aggressive in attacking the basket and they can shoot. It is hard to beat a team which can both handle the ball and shoot it. Jackson can do both."

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JACKSON 48, OAKVILLE 40

Oakville 9 9 10 12 -- 40

Jackson 16 14 9 9 -- 48

OAKVILLE (40) -- Zabek 10, Norberg 9, Zehner 8, Dippold 4, Kriegel 4. FG 17, FT 4-xx, F xx (3-pointers: Zehner 1, Reel 1. Fouled out: none)

JACKSON (48) -- Jones 18, Littlepage 8, Werner 5, Loos 5, Peiffer 4, Garritano 4, Vangilder 2, Pulsis 2. FG 20, FT 6-xx, F xx (3-pointers: Loos 1, Werner 1. Fouled out: none)