Jackson too much for Boardman to handle

January 15, 2011 at 12:05a.m.

Boardman

The Massillon Jackson Polar Bears were 25-2 last season en-route to a Division I state championship.

And at Boardman High on Friday, they showed exactly why they are a determined group that wants to repeat.

Steve Griffin had 20 points and Michael Shull added 18 as the Polar Bears defeated the Spartans, 76-41 in a Federal League contest. Jackson coach Mike Fuline said the team chemistry is the biggest reason for the team’s string of success.

“We’re a very unselfish team and that is what makes us click. As a coach, you love all of your players but there are some seasons when you really look forward to going to the gym and that for me is this season,” he said. “As hard as they played tonight, they play and get after it that much harder in practice.

“I’m not a big believer in posting goals because our mentality is to win every game that we play. First, we want to win the Federal League and we took a big step in that direction tonight,” he added.

Jackson (9-0, 4-0) raced to the early 8-2 advantage and on the strength of three triples by Shull, and the team forged a 13-4 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

Griffin then added 10 of his game-high 20 points in the second quarter, increasing their run to 23-4. And when the Jackson defense held Boardman (6-5, 0-4) to just two first half field goals, they built a commanding 34-10 halftime margin.

“We’re a very close team that just likes to find the open man. We play tough, we play hard and we like to pass the ball so everyone is involved in our offense,” Griffin said. “This was a big league win for us for. And while our goal is to win the Federal League, our ultimate goal after winning the state last year is to return to the state and repeat as champions.”

Shull’s 11 points and 10 more by Griffin after the intermission then increased the Polar Bears’ lead to 61-29 with one quarter left to play.

Eight points off the bench by Tyler Graening in the final quarter was the nail in the coffin.

“We’ve played together for so long that we almost know what move the other is going to make before we even make it,” Shull said. “We trust each other out there and we’re always looking for the open man. If that means passing the ball six or seven times, then that is what we do in order to make our offense work. It’s a great feeling to be trusted with the ball in my hands whether or not the game is on the line.”

Jackson held a 31-24 rebound advantage with Griffin hauling down a game best eight rebounds.

The Polar Bears, currently ranked #1 in the state in Division I, have now won 33 of their last 35 games.