Jackson boys hoops team falls to Holt 49-48 on last-second free throw
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Holt – At some point, this sort of ridiculous pattern has to come to an end.
Doesn’t it?
Entering Tuesday night’s road game at Holt, the Jackson boys basketball team had lost four games this year by a total of 10 points.
Well, make that five losses by 11 points, now.
“It’s tough,” coach Dan Crowley said simply following the 49-48 setback. Holt hit a free throw with 3.2 seconds remaining to break a tie game. “We were right in it, but didn’t shoot well enough from the perimeter. We didn’t make one 3-pointer, which is highly unusual.”
Losing in such a tight contest isn’t, though, which makes things even tougher to swallow.
The teams were tied 12-12 after the first quarter, and despite a huge size advantage, Holt only led 23-22 at the halftime break.
Jackson could have enjoyed a lead at halftime, but hit just 6-of-12 free throws in the first 16 minutes.
The third quarter was more of the same, as the teams went back and forth and played to a 37-37 tie entering the final quarter.
Trailing 48-46 with less than a minute to play, Shonte Suddeth drove the lane, was fouled and tied the game from the free-throw line with 35 seconds remaining in regulation.
But Holt had the last laugh, drawing a foul with 3.2 seconds remaining to break the tie and earn the win.
‘They drove and made a good move,” Crowley said when asked about the last play and eventual foul call. “It was a foul. The refs did a good job all night.”
While the defense was strong, it was the offense that hurt the Vikings. Along with missing every 3-pointer, the guys in orange and black missed eight of their 18 free throws.
“We did so many things well. We were attacking. We didn’t pay afraid. We just missed some shots,” Crowley said. “We have tough kids, though. If we hang our head, the next team we play is going to run us out of the gym. Now we have to bounce back, compete at practice and get at it.”
Keegan Davis, who scored 10 points in the loss, injured his ankle late and is likely out for Friday’s game at Everet.
“That’s huge too,” Crowley said. “He played so strong tonight. He was awesome.”
Suddeth led the team with 14 points, while R’Mand Brown scored eight, Marquise Robinson added six points, Sam Williams scored five, Kenarbe Estes added three and Jaquan Ballard scored two.
Jackson falls to 3-5 with the loss.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him atmjm12@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.