Seniors carry Jackson past Seckman

Clayton Ernst, Kaed Winborne, and Luke Tally combined to score 39 points as the Jackson Indians celebrated Valentine's Day and senior night with a 72-49 victory over Seckman on Tuesday in Jackson.

“It's a really good day to celebrate all the hard work we've been putting in,” Jackson senior Steven Schneider said, “and be able to put it all together and we can all be out there on the court all the same time.”

Ernst led the Indians with 14 points. The school celebrated him scoring his 1,000th point before tipoff.

“It was pretty special for us,” Ernst said. “It's been a journey that started in seventh grade. Just to see all these guys come out on top on a senior night, going out with a bang, it was just some special to see.”

All five seniors started the game, including Tally, who normally comes off the bench. He capitalized on the opportunity and scored nine points to give the Indians a 21-12 first-quarter lead. He scored all 12 points in the first half.

“It just felt good to go out there and feel like how I used to feel playing on the court,” Tally said.

“It's awesome to see Talley succeed,” Jackson senior point guard Grant Borgfield said. “I know he's a bucket. He's awesome.”

Borgfield scored three points but had a hand in most of the scoring during the game.

“All these other guys can shoot it,” Borgfield said. “I mean, i know I might not be the best scorer, but I know these guys can score, so I go out there and I just play my hardest to get them open.”

Windborne scored 13 points through the second and third quarter on four free throws and three baskets from the three-point line, helping pad Jackson’s lead to 39-25 at halftime and 61-34 going into the fourth quarter. Windborne announced his commitment to play basketball at Webster University a day before senior night.

“It took a lot of stress off my mind knowing where I'm going to be at next year,” Windborne said. “I'm super grateful and thankful that I found that home for next year. I just got to finish this year strong with my brothers, and then I'll start a new journey next year.”

Jackson junior Gavin Holdman slammed a dunk to punctuate the fourth quarter. It was the only period in which Seckman outscored Jackson 15-11 but the Indians already had the win at hand.

Under first-year head coach Kory Thoma, the Indians (16-8) have won more games this season than in the previous three years. With a veteran team led by five seniors and five juniors, the Indians are well positioned to make a run back to the state tournament for the first time since 2020.

“Honestly, I feel pretty strong about where we're at,” Ernst said. “We're 10 Guys deep so anybody's going out there working their hardest getting what they can and it's gonna be really tough for sure.”

Jackson travels to Sikeston on Friday and will conclude the regular season on Tuesday at home against Webster Groves.