JACKSON MUSCLES ASIDE FARMINGTON

JACKSON -- Where's the beef?

The Jackson Indians might be wondering that after manhandling the Farmington Knights 60-47 at home Thursday night in an important Class 4A, District 1 contest.

With both teams featuring players in the 6-foot-5-inch range, the Knights came into Jackson with a line-up that appeared to match up well with the Indians. But when it came to muscle, the Indians -- led by 6-5 senior Jeff Walter -- did all the flexing.

Walter totaled 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Indians controlled play on the inside and, in turn, most of the game.

"Height-wise we might match up with them; strength-wise we're not even close," said Farmington coach Justin Callahan. "Walter is just too big. They have a bunch of big, strong boys."

Several Indians showed their muscle as Jackson improved to 17-4 overall. Farmington, which finished second in the Mineral Area Activities Association with an 8-2 league-mark, fell to 14-7 overall and 0-4 against district opponents.

"It's not nearly as physical as this (in the MAAA) most of the time," said Callahan. "We're just not used to it.

"It's different down here; it's more physical. We've got (tall players), but they're weaker than Jackson. They just dominated us inside."

Nine of the 10 Indians that suited up scored. Walter had the bulk of the points, but Harith Jones popped in eight, Levi Bollinger and Justin Keen both scored seven and Cory Daniel totaled six points and eight rebounds.

"We've got some strong kids inside," said Jackson coach Steve Burk. "I thought we hurt them on the offensive boards and we handled their pressure most of the time and got some easy baskets on the back end."

Those easy baskets led to 50 percent (24 of 48) shooting from the field for the Indians. Not counting 3-pointers, Jackson shot 58 percent (21 of 36).

Burk liked his team's offensive numbers, but was even more impressed with the defense.

"I still thought our defense was the difference," Burk said. "I thought we really bothered them defensively and they had to struggle to get their shots."

Farmington shot just 40 percent (19 of 47) from the field. John Boyd, a 6-5 senior, led the Knights with 17 points.

Walter controlled play in the first half for Jackson, scoring 15 points before halftime. Farmington led 6-2 early in the first quarter, but Walter scored eight consecutive points to put the Indians ahead for good.

Jackson led 17-10 after one quarter and 32-24 at halftime.

Both teams struggled in the third quarter, but sophomore Tory Meyr gave the Indians a boost with a quarter-ending 3-pointer that put Jackson up 42-30. Meyr, a junior varsity starter, has been seeing some action on the varsity of late with ankle injuries to Keen and Justin Suedmeyer.

"Tory has really played well on our JV team," Burk said. "We're trying to get him a few minutes on the varsity to see if he might be able to help us come district time."

Jones scored Jackson's first six points in the fourth quarter and the Indians rolled from there.

With Cape Central hosting this year's 4A, District 1 Tournament at the Tiger Fieldhouse, Callahan plans to have his team playing more physical at the end of the month when they return.

"When we come down here for our district game I think we'll be a little bit more prepared," said Callahan. "We'll be more aggressive."