TIGERS CLAIM SECTIONAL SPOT

FARMINGTON -- Arch rivals Cape Central and Jackson had split two basketball games this season, with both contests being highly competitive affairs.

So nobody had any right not to expect another tense, action-packed battle Thursday night when the squads met in the championship contest of the Class 4A, District 1 Tournament.

There was plenty of action all right -- but virtually all of it was provided by Central, which scored the first seven points and never looked back during a 77-49 romp at the Farmington Civic Center.

Top-seeded Central, which improved to 21-6 by winning its second straight district title, advances to Wednesday night's Class 4A sectional game, also at the Farmington Civic Center. The Tigers' opponent has not yet been determined.

Second-seeded Jackson closes out the season with a 17-9 record.

"I was really proud of the way all the guys played tonight," said Central's first-year head coach, Brett Reutzel. "This was really one of the outstanding games we've played this year."

You'll get no arguments from Jackson coach Steve Burk.

"You have to give Cape credit more than say we didn't play well," he said. "They made us play bad."

Nathan Owen and Laurence Jackson were a strong one-two punch for Central, Owen scoring 23 points and Jackson adding 21. LaVelle Lewis chipped in with 10 points.

"Two (district titles) in a row feels really good," said Owen with a smile. "And beating Jackson in the finals makes it even better."

Said Jackson, "We were determined tonight. We came out strong."

Justin Suedmeyer was Jackson's only double-figure scorer with 13 points.

When the teams last met, in Jackson on Feb. 11, the Indians controlled the tempo and claimed a 58-48 victory.

Thursday night, however, the Tigers' pressure caused the Indians all kinds of problems from the very beginning. Forcing numerous turnovers, Central got the tempo to its liking this time.

"We played our game this time," said Lewis. "They played their game last time."

Said Owen, "We came out and decided we would play our pace and push the ball. We played their pace last time. They're a good team and they're well coached and we knew we'd have to play well."

Forcing several early turnovers, the Tigers bolted to a 7-0 lead on four points from Owen and Jackson's 3-pointer.

Barely three minutes into the contest, Central had a 12-2 lead after another Jackson 3-pointer and a steal and layup by Brian Hodges.

Jackson, trailing 21-11 after the first quarter, did manage to hang around for most of the second period. The Indians twice pulled to within five points, but Central opened up a 34-25 halftime lead. Owen had 13 points in the opening two quarters.

Then came the blowout. Lewis scored the first four points of the third period as Central went ahead 38-25.

The Indians made it 38-27, but an 9-0 Central run opened up a 47-27 bulge for the Tigers.

And Central wasn't through. Owen's 3-pointer with 3:34 left in the quarter made it 52-29. Late in the period, Will Harris bombed home a trey and it was 59-34 Tigers as their fans roared with approval.

Owen's trey in the opening seconds of the final quarter gave Central a 62-34 lead. And the Tigers closed the game with a flourish as well, reserve Aron Meystedt's trey at the buzzer accounting for the 28-point final margin.

"We wanted to play as fast as we could possibly play," Reutzel said. "We got off to a good start and that was important. We hadn't done that the other two times we played them."

Even though the Indians suffered a lopsided defeat, Burk was pleased with the season.

"This is a good bunch of kids and they worked really hard," he said. "I thought our kids played well most of the season."