Turnovers cost Jackson boys basketball team against Imagine Prep

The Jackson boys basketball team isn't entering the postseason with momentum, but the Indians should definitely feel battle-tested.

Jackson suffered its second loss of the week Friday night, falling to visiting Imagine College Prep 61-50 in its regular-season finale.

Imagine is among the better squads in the St. Louis area. The same goes for Webster Groves, the state's fifth-ranked Class 5 team that beat Jackson on Tuesday.

"I like playing these two teams at the end of the season," Jackson senior center John Meyer said. "It's getting us prepared. It's only going to make us better."

Jackson's downfall Friday was the second quarter, when the Indians (14-12) could not handle the pressure of the smaller but much quicker Bears (19-7).

Jackson’s John Meyer dunks against Imagine Prep during the third quarter Friday.

The Indians entered the second period ahead 14-11. They ended it behind 32-21, thanks largely to 14 turnovers.

"They're a quick team. They put a lot of pressure on us," Jackson sophomore swingman Karson King said. "That second quarter they just put the pressure on us and we kind of didn't know what to do."

Jackson committed turnovers on 11 of its first 12 possessions in the second quarter. The Indians attempted just three field goals in the period and made two of the shots.

"That's the game. That second quarter just killed us," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "We made some turnovers, became passive. You give them credit. They did a good job with the press."

The Indians, despite the dismal second period that saw them outscored 21-7, did not go down easily. They had a 13-8 scoring advantage in the third quarter to pull within 40-34.

Jackson’s Karson King looks to pass while being pressured by Imagine Prep’s Kenneth Harris during the first quarter.

Jackson cut the deficit to 40-36 early in the final period and again got within four at 51-47 on sophomore Josh Daume's 3-pointer with 1 minute, 28 seconds remaining.

But Jackson could not get any closer. The Bears iced the victory by making 8 of 11 free throws in the final 1 minute, 17 seconds.

"If we're going to take a positive, we made it a ballgame," Scott said. "We had a couple of chances if we just get a shot to fall."

King led Jackson with 13 points. The 6-foot-9 Meyer dunked three times and scored 12 points. The pair hooked up for one of the night's highlight plays when Meyer threw down a jam off an alley-oop pass from King.

Daume added 10 points for the Indians.

"They're a good team," King said. "It's hard to come back on those teams."

Junior forward Miles Nettles led the Bears with 15 points.

"I thought we did well," Bears coach Tony Irons said. "We did some things today where earlier in the season we might have lost our composure down the stretch."

The Bears continued to be without junior point guard Martavian Payne, who is injured. Irons said he hopes to have Payne back for district play but won't rush his floor leader into action.

"It's rough [without Payne]," Irons said. "He's a talented player. He makes things a lot easier for us."

Jackson shot better than Imagine, 48.5 percent (16 of 33) to 38.5 percent (20 of 52), but the Bears had 19 more field-goal attempts because of the turnover differential.

The Indians finished with 25 turnovers compared to 13 for the Bears.

The Indians are encouraged despite entering postseason play with two consecutive losses.

"We're playing so much better than we were earlier," Scott said.

Jackson will host the Class 5 District 1 tournament. The Indians face Poplar Bluff in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"I feel like the way we played tonight, if we hold that into districts, I think we'll do pretty good," Meyer said.

Imagine Prep 11 21 8 21 -- 61

Jackson 14 7 13 16 -- 50

IMAGINE PREP (61) -- Kevin Baker 13, Miles Nettles 15, Eric Clark 11, Taj Mohammed 7, Jeremiah Price 6, Kenneth Harris 3, Devonte Dillard 2, Emmanuel Vaughn 4. FG 20, FT 16-20, F 17. (3-pointers: Baker 1, Clark 2, Mohammed 2. Fouled out: none)

JACKSON (50) -- Josh Daume 10, Caleb Newcomer 5, Braxton McDowell 3, Calvin Lysell 6, Karson King 13, John Meyer 12, Luke Stevens 1. FG 16, FT 8-11, F 17. (3-pointers: Daume 2, Newcomer 1, McDowell 1, Lysell 1. Fouled out: none)

JV -- Jackson won 44-40.