Jackson offense outmatched by Principia in Turkey Tourney third-place game

Matched up against the reigning Class 2 finalist Principia Panthers, first-seeded Jackson ended its season-opening run in the St. Francis Borgia Turkey Tournament with a 44-30 loss to drop to fourth place in a talented pool of teams.

After dropping a semifinal game against Union to knock the Indians down to the third-place game, Jackson’s offensive struggles continued with a hot-and-cold defeat to a talented but beatable Principia team.

Defensively, Jackson put together a game that nobody should be disappointed about. With senior big Gavin Holdman maintaining his place in the post, proving to be a solid replacement to the recently-graduated Clayton Ernst.

Teammates Braden Thompson and Lee Ivy shifting to the inside occasionally, Jackson contended with a very talented (and tall) Principia team.

“Principia is a very talented team,” Jackson coach Kory Thoma said. “They’re very similar to the teams we’re playing in the SEMO Conference. We’ve got a week to figure it out before the SEMO Conference Tournament, so it's fine.

“We're gonna find a purpose for this. These kids are getting some good minutes, and once they get some confidence, it's gonna help within the season.”

Jackson's Kolton Thoma (left) drives the sideline against Principia's Christian Dake (right) during a November 25, 2023 St. Francis Borgia Turkey Tournament game between the No. 1 Jackson Indians and the No. 3 Principia Panthers at St. Francis Borgia High School in Washington, Mo. Principia defeated Jackson, 44-30.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

Jackson opened the game firing, building a number of slim leads but never putting the Panthers more than an arm’s length away.

Senior point guard Braedon Thoma hit a 3-pointer near the end of the first quarter to keep the pace for the Indians, who eventually took an 11-8 lead to the bench after a quarter.

Going into the second quarter, however, Principia began to build some momentum. The Panthers’ lengthy posts gave way to a few putback buckets.

Assisted by some Jackson shooting woes and a handful of turnovers in addition to this, the defense didn’t prove enough to keep Jackson alive. By the break, Principia had rallied back to go up 17-15.

Competing against some serious vertical talent, Jackson had a tough task cut out. While not necessarily undersized on paper, the Panthers made height a pressing issue in the post.

“We set the tone last year, getting to the final four,” Holdman said. “We’ve just got to bring back that culture that the seniors brought last year. We need that leadership again.”

Principia's Jaylen Edwards (center) walks up the floor with Jackson's Judd Thoma (left) and Braedon Thoma (right) pictured during a November 25, 2023 St. Francis Borgia Turkey Tournament game between the No. 1 Jackson Indians and the No. 3 Principia Panthers at St. Francis Borgia High School in Washington, Mo. Principia defeated Jackson, 44-30.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

Through the first few minutes of the third quarter, the two swapped leads back and forth. Trailing by three midway through the period, senior guard Kaden Pruitt hit a shot from a corner to tie the game at 22-all.

With the Panthers dominating the interior, and Jackson’s shooting and turnover woes continuing, third-seeded Principia mounted a 32-25 lead over the Indians with eight minutes to go.

The early momentum for Principia moved from a slow roll to a sprint as Ronald Henry Jr. put in back-to-back buckets in a matter of secondds for the Panthers as they continued to build their lead, moving up to 40-25.

Jackson made a number of substitutions trying to find new looks, but eventually succumbed to the Panthers in a 44-30 loss to fall to 1-2 on the season.

“We're getting a lot of varsity, junior varsity players that didn't have varsity experience in the past good minutes,” Kory Thoma said. “We're trying to figure things out.”

Jackson's Braedon Thoma (left) stares down teammate Braden Thompson (right) during a November 25, 2023 St. Francis Borgia Turkey Tournament game between the No. 1 Jackson Indians and the No. 3 Principia Panthers at St. Francis Borgia High School in Washington, Mo. Principia defeated Jackson, 44-30.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

Judd Thoma led the Indians with 12 points scored in the loss, proving to be a solid anchor to an attack that’s still working to find a rhythm this season. Teammates Braedon Thoma and Holdman chipped in seven and six points respectively.

Henry Jr.’s 17 points led all scorers for Principia, while the Panthers also got solid scoring contributions from Ben Akoro and Jaylen Edwards, both with eight points.

The Indian offense continues to struggle in early-season play. Injury woes run rampant, tracing back to an injury sustained by senior guard Blayne Harris in Jackson football's season-ending loss to Christian Brothers on Nov. 17.

There’s an understanding that after a full summer of practicing with Harris as a primary shooting option, the offense wants to create new looks for its young guns while its star guard is sidelined.

But with the additional absence of junior wing shooter Kole Deck, the offense struggled in a way that hasn’t been seen in a long time for the program.

Averaging 45 points per game in the Turkey Tournament, Jackson’s 30-point performance is its lowest single-game scoring output since a Dec. 29, 2018 loss to Cape Central in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament championship game.

The road to being healthy is long and grueling, but the Indians are still fighting to make their five on the floor a contending team.

“We're gonna hold on. We're gonna win as many games as we can,” Judd Thoma said. “Hopefully, when everyone gets back, we can make a run at state.”