Depth of Jackson bench flexes muscle as Vikings run and gun past Holt (File Photo Jaylen Johnson)
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson – Playing like this as March approaches is a goal for any team.
But playing like this, with this speed, defensive pressure and overall depth, well, it’s a reality the Jackson boys basketball team put on full display again.
The Vikings picked up their third-consecutive victory and bumped their record back to the .500 mark Tuesday, getting scoring contributions from nine different players in a 67-56 defeat of Holt.
“Balanced scoring, balanced defense, the rebounds were balanced,” coach Dan Crowley said afterwards. “We got a lot of play from the bench. We got a lot of energy. When guys realize that’s what we can do, when they have that big energy, we’re tough to play against.”
Holt did hold the lead at one point, just seconds in, to be exact, and it was a 2-0 advantage.
From that point on, Jackson took over.
The team’s leading scorer, Shonte Suddeth, was relegated to the bench due to early foul trouble, but the Vikings didn’t skip a beat.
Jackson led 16-10 after the first quarter, and with Suddeth returning in the second quarter, added 17 more points for a 33-26 advantage at halftime.
Jaylon Johnson was key in the first half, subbing in for Suddeth and scoring six points in the first 16 minutes.
“Jaylon was huge. He was huge,” Crowley said.
Holt had its best quarter in the third, cutting into the Jackson lead on a number of occasions, pulling within one or two points on multiple possessions, but never finding a way over the top.
Jackson led 46-42 entering the fourth and never looked back.
“Real nice win,” Jackson’s R’Mand Brown said after leading all scorers with 14 points. “We had to play our game and keep fighting.”
Brown was key in a number of situations, not just the offensive end.
He had a key assist late in the game, followed by a steal and lay in that essentially served as an exclamation point.
“I feel like I’m a player that can step up to any moment and play hard,” Brown added.
Johnson finished the game with 12 points off the bench, while Sam Williams scored nine, Deangelo Weaver and Suddeth added eight, each, Marquise Robinson scored seven, while Rarshiem Owens added four points, Keegan Davis scored three and Zion Williams added two.
Jackson is now 9-9 with two games remaining.
“We’ve played with everybody,” Crowley said when asked how tough his team is to face when hitting on all cylinders. “We’ve got plenty of confidence right now. These guys come with confidence every day. They practice hard and compete with each other. That’s what makes us good.”
Jaron Faulds scored 12 to lead Holt (10-7), while Myles Baker added 10.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.