Jackson tumbles to No. 1 Angels

The Jackson girls basketball team put up a valiant effort, but their comeback bid fell short against St. Joseph's.

The Angels used tough defense in the first half to pull out a 56-48 victory in front of a near capacity crowd in the old Jackson gymnasium.

St. Joseph's began the night ranked first in the state in Class 5 and were ranked 13th overall in the nation by the latest USA Today high school poll.

"St. Joe's is a very skilled team," said Jackson point guard Kate Loos, who had eight points. "We just went out and played our hardest."

Jackson was overmatched at several positions, but they didn't back down from St. Joseph's, a private all-girls school located in St. Louis.

Jackson hung with the Angels (12-0) in the opening minutes, but a 10-2 run to end the first quarter put the Angels up 17-11.

Jackson (9-2) managed to make only one shot from the field in the second quarter, a 3-pointer by Loos less than a minute before the half. St. Joseph's swarming defense made it difficult for Jackson to get good shots as they trailed 31-18 at halftime.

Senior standout Ashley Bartels struggled finding her shot early on against 6-foot-5 Angel center Erin McCarthy. She finished with 18 points, 11 of which came in the second half.

"We dug ourselves in a hole early," Jackson coach Sam Sides said. "We just gave them too many easy shots."

Several costly turnovers during the Indians' second quarter scoring drought had them trying to play catch up the rest of the night.

Jackson picked up its defensive intensity and started sinking shots in the third quarter. Strong defense and 3-point baskets capped a 12-4 spurt midway through the third quarter to cut the lead to 35-30.

In the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer by Loos brought Jackson within 52-48, but St. Joe's got strong free-throw shooting to finish off the Indians in the final minute.

Sophomore Mackenzie Stirmlinger scored 25 to lead the way for St. Joe's. Center Erin McCarthy added 12 points.

Jennifer Ferrell added 17 for the Indians, including five 3-pointers.