THOMA, CLIPPARD PACE JACKSON WIN OVER PERRYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

PERRYVILLE - Guards Kory Thoma and Craig Clippard combined for 27 points and also sparkled on defense as Jackson ran past Perryville 66-51 here Tuesday.

Thoma hit a trio of 3-pointers on the night while Clippard added three more long-range bombs as the Indians improved their season record to 10-6.

"Clippard and Thoma shot the ball well from outside," said Jackson coach Steve Burk. "Those six three-pointers were big for us."

Kevin Hope had a big night on the inside to open things up on the outside for the guards.

Hope pitched in 13 for the Indians before fouling out.

"Kevin played well," Burk said. "We have some kids sick with the flu, but we're playing pretty well offensively right now. Everyone's pitching in."

Jackson led most of the way, but Perryville (8-6) got within two points at 48-46 earlier in the final quarter before an Indian run helped put the victory on ice.

"After we got close there they put together a nice little run and we had to play catch-up the rest of the way," Perryville coach Chris Kusnerick said. "We tried to foul and get back in the game, but we just couldn't pull it off."

Said Burk, "We led for most of the way, but the score was very indicative of how close the game really was. They had it pretty close there in the fourth quarter before we pulled away."

The Indians finished off Perryville at the foul line, hitting eight free throws in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Jackson, which possesses one of the area's stingiest defenses, was all over Perryville sharpshooter Steve Eggemeyer.

That, said Kusnerick, was the key to the Indians' win.

"We didn't shoot the ball real well," he said. "But, I think that had a lot do with Jackson's defense. They play a tough man-to-man. They were really rushing a lot of people at Eggemeyer."

That allowed inside force Eric Weinkein to have good night for Perryville. He led the Pirates with 16 points, 10 coming in the fourth quarter. Eggemeyer, averaging nearly 20 poitns a game for Perryville, had 15.

Jackson led by just a point at the end of the first period before taking a six-point, 26-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Indians extended the advantage to eight to start out the final period before Weinkein led Perryville's comeback. That cut it to two.

Jackson, which snapped a two-game losing skid, makes it back home Friday after a four straight road games when the Indians host Notre Dame.

"That should be a tough game," Burk said.

Perryville will be idle Friday but faces Scott City in a game set for next Tuesday in Perryville.

JACKSON 66, PERRYVILLE 51

JACKSON 12 14 18 23 - 66

PERRYVILLE 11 9 16 15 - 51

JACKSON (66)

Thoma 14, Laurentius 8, Clippard 13, Hope 13, Stoverink 4, Kiehne 9, Strong 9. FG 23 FT 14-22 F 13 (3-pointers: Clippard 3, Thoma 3. Fouled out: Hope)

PERRYVILLE (51)

Weinkein 16, Tom Brown 6, Rodewald 4, Wibbenmeyer 9, Eggemeyer 15, Hummer 1. FG 22 FT 5-13 F 18. (3-pointers: T. Brown 2. Fouled out: T. Brown)

MDNM