Jackson girls stop rival Bluff

Indians win battle of the two top-ranked girls teams in Southeast Missouri 52-42.

By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian

In a battle of two of the area's top girls basketball teams, Jackson made a statement Monday night at home with a convincing 52-42 win over conference rival Poplar Bluff.

The teams, which came into the game ranked first and second in the Southeast Missouri top 10 poll, played tight at the start with Jackson (8-2), ranked No. 1, holding a 13-10 edge after one quarter.

The Indians defense picked up the pressure in the second quarter and forced the Mules (8-3) into settling for outside shots. Lauren Shelton, 6-foot-2, and Omega Key (5-11), the Mules' top inside threats, were held without a basket through the first half.

Jackson coach Ron Cook said stopping Poplar Bluff's inside game was a key for the Indians.

"Their inside game is a lot stronger than their outside game," he said.

While the Mules couldn't get anything going on the inside, Jackson continually found open players down low. Whitney Werner scored six points in the paint in the second quarter to help Jackson pull out to a 27-13 lead late in the period.

Down 14, the Mules rallied to cut the lead to eight points, 27-19, by halftime. Poplar Bluff used that late first-half spurt as a momentum builder, scoring the first two buckets of the third quarter to cut the lead to four.

Just when it looked like the Mules would get back into the game, Indian star Jenna Leet went on a tear. Leet hit two big 3-pointers and scored 10 third-quarter points to thwart any chance of a Poplar Bluff rally.

Cook said Leet's third-quarter performance is what he expects.

"That's what seniors have to do," he said.

After the dust cleared from Leet's shooting barrage, the Indians found themselves holding a 39-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

With the Mules needing their offense to step up, the Indians tightened up on defense and ended any threat of a comeback. The combination of poor shooting and strong defense limited the Mules to two free throws over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Leet said the whole team stepped it up for the Indians' first conference game.

"Tonight we played an excellent game of team ball," she said. "We just focused really on teamwork."

With the Mules down 17 with 2:48 remaining, Poplar Bluff coach Kirk Chronister cleared his bench, effectively ending the Mules' shot at a comeback. Cook quickly sent in his subs as well, and saw the Mules score eight points late to close the gap to 10 by the end of the game.

Cook said besides a lapse in play by his team in the last two minutes, he was impressed with their performance.

"It was a good team effort," he said. "I really like the way we played."

The performance was especially impressive considering Jackson's two-plus week layoff.

"They were ready to play," Cook said. "That's a great feeling."

Leet led the way for the Indians with a game-high 20 points. Werner chipped in 14 for Jackson.

Monday's win was a good start to a tough week for Jackson, which plays at St. Joseph's Academy Friday night. St. Joseph's defeated Jackson in the finals of the Farmington Tournament earlier in the season.

"These two games are really big games for us," Leet said.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 171