Jackson post tandem guides Indians to sound district win

Jackson opened the Class 6 District 1 Tournament by obliterating Oakville 77-39 on Wednesday in Kirkwood.

The Indians cruised through the fourth quarter after building a 37-point lead through the first three quarters.

“We came out and made a statement early,” Jackson coach Kory Thoma said. “We made a couple shots early, our defensive pressure was really solid tonight guarding their shooters and their point guard. We started off the game up 10-0, and they had to call three timeouts in the first half.”

Jackson went into halftime up 46-17, courtesy of strong play both offensively and defensively. For Thoma’s squad, that effort runs through the center position, where Clayton Ernst continues to excel night after night. The senior post led all scorers with 17 points in the contest, all scored in the first three quarters.

While Ernst’s impact has become renowned in area basketball circles, junior big man Gavin Holdman joined Ernst in the paint party, finishing second in points scored while also establishing himself on the glass.

“Clayton Ernst had a really good game,” Thoma said. “He played like a beast tonight, and then Gavin Holdman off the bench had 15 boards and a couple of dunks, so it was nice to see him get back on track.”

Ernst’s 17 and Holdman’s 15 led the Indians in scoring, while Blayne Harris (13), Kaed Winborne (12), Judd Thoma (8), Steven Schneider (7), Luke Tally (3) and Grant Borgfield (2) all joined in on the scoring action to guide Jackson to a large win on Wednesday night.

With the win, Jackson advances to the district semifinal stage, in which the Indians take on Lindbergh. It won’t be the first time that the two teams have matched up this season, dating back to a prior interaction with the Flyers, who finished 17-10, back in their own tournament.

Jackson defeated Lindbergh after a rough first three quarters, going on a crucial run in the fourth quarter to advance to the Lindbergh Invitational championship game with a 55-52 win against the hosting Flyers.

With just 32 teams remaining in the MSHSAA Class 6 bracket, coach Kory Thoma knows what’s ahead of his team as Jackson faces a rematch with Lindbergh at 7 p.m. on Friday at Kirkwood High School.

“They have a unique offensive strategy that we hadn’t seen before,” Thoma said. “We got caught up in it the first time around.

“We’ve got a day to prepare for that going forward. Hopefully we'll be better next time.”