JACKSON GIRLS EYE RETURN TO COLUMBIA

Jackson High girls basketball coach Ron Cook is sure of one thing entering today's Class 4A quarterfinal game against St. Joseph's Academy.

Expect a much tougher battle than what the Lady Indians had in Wednesday night's sectional round.

That goes without saying, because Jackson totally dominated an overmatched McCluer squad 52-20. But Cook knows things will get much more difficult today when the Lady Indians and St. Joseph's tangle in a 1:30 p.m. tipoff at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

"I don't think we'll get any more like Wednesday," said Cook with a laugh. "This one is going to be really tough."

If an earlier meeting between the teams is any indication, then Jackson fans should be in for a real heart-stopper. Back on Jan. 11, St. Joseph's slipped past Jackson 52-49 in triple overtime on the Angels' court in St. Louis.

"That game was pretty tight all the way. It went down to the wire and this one could also," Cook said.

A win for Jackson, 25-2, will send the Lady Indians into their third consecutive Class 4A Final Four. Jackson finished second in the state last year and third two seasons ago.

St. Joseph's (20-7) is also a perennial state power, having won four straight 4A championships a few years back during the Kristin Folkl era. Folkl led the Angels to four consecutive state titles in volleyball and basketball before going on to Stanford, where she has starred in both sports.

While this year's St. Joseph's team doesn't feature a player with near Folkl's ability -- not many players any place are that good -- Cook said the Angels are plenty salty, with an extremely tall and strong lineup that includes three starters in the 6-foot to 6-1 range.

"They have a real good team," said Cook. "They have good outside shooting, big girls inside and girls who come off the bench and play well."

The Angels don't possess eye-popping individual statistics, but they are extremely balanced. Vanessa Fabbre, a 6-1 force inside, averages a team-high 11.1 points per game. Erica Schutte, also 6-1, averages 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds per contest.

Also averaging nearly 10 points a game is Sarah Landy, a 3-point specialist who missed the first game between the teams. Landy has connected on nearly 42 percent of her 3-point attempts.

"She didn't play against us the first time, but she's a good 3-point shooter so we'll have to guard against that," said Cook.

Jackson will have to be particularly strong on the boards, because rebounding appears to be the Angels' strength. They are averaging about 16 more rebounds per game than their opponents.

"They hit the boards hard. They're big and strong. One of the keys for us will be to try and control the boards," Cook said.

While not nearly as big as the Angels, the Lady Indians have plenty of strengths of their own, namely ball movement, good defense and solid outside shooting.

Michele Millham, a two-time all-stater, leads a balanced scoring attack at 14 points per game. She played only a few minutes against McCluer Wednesday night because of a stomach virus but Cook hopes she'll be at close to 100 percent today.

Also averaging in double figures for the Lady Indians are Christa Millham (11 ppg) and Shannon Perry (10 ppg). Mindy Myers led the way against McCluer with 16 points while Perry had 13.

"I think the teams are pretty evenly matched. Each can offset the other's strengths," said Cook. "It should be a really close game. Hopefully we'll be on top when it ends."