JACKSON GIRLS MOVE TO TOP OF 4A POLL

Jackson High girls basketball coach Ron Cook doesn't know if his team is the best in the state among Class 4A squads.

But for a while at least, the Lady Indians can make that claim. They have risen to the top spot in the latest Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association poll that was released today.

The Lady Indians had been ranked third in the most recent poll two weeks ago. Since that time, the teams that had been ranked above them -- Raytown and Jefferson City -- both suffered two losses.

Jackson won all five of its games during that span to improve to 11-1.

"I'm kind of surprised, but we'll take it," said Cook with a laugh. "The thing you do is just keep on playing your game and playing hard. It's a great honor to be No. 1, but you can't live on it. It's just a poll."

While there is no guarantee that the Lady Indians are the best Class 4A team in the state, it's likely -- if recent history is any indication -- that they are certainly among Missouri's top squads.

The Lady Indians have advanced to the Class 4A Final Four the past four seasons and have reached the state championship game the last three years -- only to fall short of the state title each time. During the past four seasons, Jackson has lost a total of only 10 games.

Cook said this year's team -- which lost a close game to Poplar Bluff early in the season but later avenged that defeat with a lopsided victory -- is perhaps more balanced than some of the Lady Indians' other standout squads in recent seasons.

"In the past we had two or three main scorers, but now we've got four in double figures and one pretty close so the scoring is more spread out," he said.

Jackson has been ranked No. 1 in the state at various times over the past several seasons so this is nothing new to the Lady Indians. Cook figures his team is a major target of other area squads every time out anyway.

"I think everybody always shoots for us anyway," he said. "Even if we're not No. 1, we're usually ranked up there pretty high."

Cook said the challenge now will be to see how long the Lady Indians can stay at the top of the rankings. The next poll won't be released for another two weeks and Jackson faces some tough challenges before then.

"We've got a lot of tough games ahead of us," he said. "It's going to be tough to stay up there, but we'll see how long we can do it."

Added Cook, "With Poplar Bluff and Cape Central in our district, it's hard enough to even get out of the district. We've been fortunate the past few years. But we know the poll doesn't mean anything. It's what happens at the end of the season that counts."

Jackson will have two more games the rest of the week, both on the road. The Lady Indians face Notre Dame Thursday night and take on St. Louis power St. Joseph's Academy Friday night.

The entire poll appears in `Scoreboard' on 2B.