Jackson Blasts Stadium in Regional Rout

Jackson Blasts Stadium in Regional Rout
By Steven Dion

The nightcap at Everett Community College on Friday night featured a matchup of the number one seed of District 1 in Jackson and the fourth seed of the District 3/4 tourney in Stadium. Jackson only has one loss on the season and was able to run through the playoffs up to this point with relative ease. Meanwhile, Stadium was able to pick up wins against Emerald Ridge and Curtis in districts to earn a regional berth. At stake in this game was a trip to the Tacoma Dome next weekend for the state tournament. Would Stadium find a way to upset the lethal Timberwolves squad in front of a huge Jackson crowd or would the perceived favorite earn another trip to championship weekend?

From the tip, the pace of this game would begin at a slow tempo as scoring was relatively non-existent in the opening minutes. T’Wolves senior Dan Kingma tested the smaller Tigers guard by attacking the rim with a surprisingly explosive first step off the dribble. Stadium demonstrated their preference to keep the game slowed down by making Lucious Brown the primary ball-handler. The big forward played all five positions on the floor with phenomenal handles and great footwork in the paint. The matchup of Jason Todd and Malik Mayeux was intriguing as the reigning state player of the year in Todd was unable to knock down shots using his signature “back up and lay up” move under the rim. T’Wolves guard Marcus Blake provided a defensive boost that loosened up his squad and helped JHS control the ball game. At the buzzer heading into the half, SHS senior Eric Tuttle hit a halfcourt shot to bring the deficit to only four points at 27-23.

The third quarter was the pivotal part of the game where Jackson created insurmountable separation. Their 7-0 run to start and a 20-3 overall quarter foiled Stadium’s potential plan to gain a lead at some point in this contest. A steal by Kingma that was dished to an airborne Todd and fed to a driving Brian Zehr for a two-handed slam got the crowd on their feet and was a symbolic end to this game. The fourth quarter was merely procedural as the T’Wolves emptied their bench and ran the clock down. Stadium was able to get their freshman Hillis some minutes late in this game. The reserve not even listed on the roster has a bright future as a Tiger with a strong family tradition of Stadium basketball as his brother was part of the state team in the early 2000s. When the dust settled, Jackson cruised to a 67-33 victory. Look for the Timberwolves to avenge their loss in the state championship game last season by winning it next weekend at the Tacoma Dome.

Top Performers:
Jackson
Dan Kingma-22 points (8/8 FT’s), 3 steals, 2 assists

Stadium
Malik Mayeux-6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks