Tigers break Indians' streak

Central sophomore Andrew Williams said he and his teammates were well aware that third-year coach Drew Church never had beaten his old team heading into Tuesday's game against Jackson at the Show Me Center.

Church, who was an assistant at Jackson before accepting his position at Central, watched his squad drop all four games it played against Jackson last year and had lost the first meeting between the schools this season in the SEMO Conference tournament.

"He always says that he's never beaten Jackson since he's been here," Williams said.

That changed Tuesday.

Williams netted 10 points and senior Josh Harris chipped in eight to help Church and the Tigers beat the Indians 44-40.

"It feels really good to get him a W," Williams said.

Church, who was feeling a little sick, said it was nice to earn a victory after the Tigers (7-13) had struggled lately and entered the contest seven games below .500.

"More than it being about me, it's more about these kids," Church said. "They needed a win. And it kind of just so happened it came against Jackson. It's always good to have that Cape, Jackson rivalry, but these kids needed a win and they did it tonight against a good Jackson team."

The Central student section, which hasn't had much to cheer about during boys basketball games against Jackson (9-11) in recent years, had a fun and vocal night. It chanted "Scoreboard," "It's all over" and "Why so quiet?" at the Jackson students during the fourth quarter. The Tigers section even attempted to storm the court after the contest.

"It's something you can't describe," Williams said after the win. "We've lost to them five games straight since last year. ... It feels amazing to come out here and play in front of a big crowd and just get a W."

Central started the game with a lineup that lacked height. Six-foot-6 sophomore Zach Boerboom, who typically starts inside, was sick with strep throat and did not play. Six-foot-4 inside man Rick Russell did not start either. He came off the bench because he had the flu this week.

Central, with its small and youthful lineup, with three sophomores starting, did a nice job passing the ball around and finding players open for high-percentage shots.

"I think we handled the ball a little bit better [than against Jackson in the SEMO tournament] and we got more boards," Central sophomore Blake Ozbun said. "I think we were just under control. It's always best to get a good shot instead of a forced shot."

Jackson led for most of the first half, except for one minute early in the second quarter. Central, which trailed by four points at halftime, outscored the Indians 11-8 in the third quarter when the two teams exchanged the lead four times.

"We felt a little pressure and we took some quick shots," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "That third quarter ... we started playing a little hurried. They were in a zone and they were going to let us shoot. We shot it and didn't make any of those shots."

Jackson senior Marcus Harris, who scored six points in the first half, was called for a technical foul in the third. Scott decided to make him sit for the rest of the game. Not having Harris on the floor didn't help matters for the Jackson offense.

Central, which entered the fourth down by one, tied the game 31-31 with 6 minutes, 23 seconds remaining and took the lead 33-31 with 4:55 left.

"We were aggressive in the second half," Josh Harris said. "[Coach] told us to attack the basket and try to get to the line and make our free throws."

Harris converted 4 of 6 free throws in the fourth, while Dylan Thomas, who came off the bench, converted 3 of 4 free throws in the final period.

Central built the lead to 36-31 with 3:27 left, and Jackson did not help itself when it got chances from the free-throw line. Bobby Clark and Eli Gohn each missed two free throws with a little more than 3 minutes left, allowing Central to maintain a five-point lead.

Central never let its rival get within four points from there.

"The last two games we've missed some free throws that would have put us back in the ballgame," Scott said.

Jackson struggled getting the ball to its big man, Henrie Williams, who finished with four points.

"Defensively they played hard," Church said about his players. "We tried to limit Henrie Williams' touches inside and tried to make them take outside shots and then make them only get one shot by rebounding."

Central981116—44

Jackson1011816—40

CENTRAL (44) — Dylan Thomas 5, Blake Ozbun 6, Andrew Williams 10, James Lane 6, Josh Harris 8, Kevin Casasola 5, Rick Russell 4. FG 13, FT 17-33, F 12. (3-pointers: Williams 1. Fouled out: None)

JACKSON (40) — Marcus Harris 7, Kyle Keith 10, Lucas Davis 2, Zach McDowell 5, Eli Gohn 2, Henrie Williams 4, Bobby Clark 10. FG 13, FT 10-17, F 15. (3-pointers: Keith 2, McDowell 1, Clark 1. Fouled: McDowell, Keith)