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Jackson-Milton, Mathews finish strong, will meet in sectional final
By Jim Flick
Warren
The boys basketball teams from Jackson-Milton and Mathews high schools got off to slow starts Wednesday in their opening games in the Northeast District Division IV sectional tournament.
They finished fast.
Both teams won and will square off in a game scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Warren G. Harding High School.
Jackson-Milton (13-8) defeated Ledgemont, 51-46, while Mathews (16-5) trounced Badger, 60-35.
“It’s a team game,” Jackson-Milton coach Gary Nagy said. “Everybody has to play together in order to win.”
In the game’s opening minutes, Jackson-Milton’s offense struggled and the Redskins burst out to an 8-2 lead.
But the Blue Jays fought back, and took the lead late in the first quarter, 14-12, when senior Bren Morrison scored a field goal.
Jackson-Milton built a 24-18 halftime lead. The Blue Jays’ lead reached 10 points, 42-32, early in the fourth quarter before a late rally by Ledgemont (9-12) narrowed the gap.
The Blue Jays’ first-half offensive spark came largely from Morrison, who delivered 11 of his 13 points before halftime.
“I just got a lot of wide-open passes,” Morrison said modestly. “I really wasn’t doing anything special.”
Morrison added the team was happy with Wednesday’s win, “but we’re not stopping. Saturday’s going to be a big game.”
In the second half, Jackson-Milton’s offensive spark largely came from senior Zach Nagy, who scored 12 of his 16 points after halftime.
“Only scoring four points in the first half, I had to look to shoot more, I had to penetrate,” said Zach Nagy, who is the coach’s nephew. “I have to be an offensive threat. That way I can distribute the ball better.
“Overall, we played good team ball. e have to lay off the dumb fouls a little bit.”
Jackson-Milton turned the game around in the early minutes, said Ledgemont coach Greg Fronk, because “they made the offensive adjustments, and they beat us on the boards.
“They got a lot second shots and a lot of lay-ups. We didn’t. Long story short, they make their shots and we didn’t,” Fronk said.
MATHEWS 60, BADGER 35
The Mustangs fell behind 5-0 as Badger (4-17) scored the first five points. But Mathews responded quickly, building a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and 31-16 at halftime.
The Mustangs sealed the win by outscoring the Braves 29-19 in the second half.
“I’m always happy with a win,” Mathews coach Jason Lee said. “I just wish we hadn’t had such a slow start, and I wish we’d executed better.”
The Mustangs ‘leading scorer was senior Zack Young, who delivered 22 points. But a key to the win was senior Cole O’Dell’s dramatic 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded, ending the third quarter.
“I just threw it up, and when it went in I was happy,” said O’Dell, who scored 18 points for Mathews. “It energized the team a bit.”