Jackson builds eight-point lead in 3rd quarter, but falls to Ypsilanti 57-50
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson – With 17.1 seconds remaining in the first half of Tuesday night’s contest at Jackson, Corey Allen stepped to the free-throw line and calmly knocked down a pair of shots.
And with 17.1 seconds remaining in the first half, Ypsilanti’s leading scorer (averaging nearly 24 points per game) had his first two points of the night.
With Allen relegated to the bench much of the half due to foul trouble, and Jackson’s defense playing at a frantic pace, the Vikings led the 12-1 Grizzlies by a 25-22 count at the half.
But in the third quarter, Allen came off the bench and came to life, bringing the Grizzlies back from what was an eight-point deficit and scored 16 points in the second half of what was eventually a 57-50 Ypsilanti victory.
“He’s good,” Jackson coach Dan Crowley said simply about Allen. “He’s very good. But I will say this, tonight had nothing to do with a lack of effort on our guys. They came out and they battled. If we play defense like that against anyone, we’re going to have a chance to win.”
The game’s pace was frantic from the start, with both teams pushing the ball.
Ypsilanti led 10-9 after the first quarter, but with Allen on the bench most of the half, lacked a consistent scoring threat.
Jackson took advantage, mainly on the defensive end, and took the three-point lead into halftime.
With Allen still on the bench early in the third, the Vikings built a 36-28 lead, but their 3-point shooting was ice cold all night long and some inside shots wouldn’t fall as the quarter went on.
Allen checked back into the game and promptly hit three-consecutive 3-pointers.
The Grizzlies never looked back, leading 41-40 by the end of the third quarter before closing things out in the fourth.
“We played hard and we played good defense,” Crowley said. “But we had that couple-minute stretch where we let Corey get going and we really didn’t have an answer.”
Allen finished with 18 in the game, helping push Ypsilanti to 13-1 on the year and extend its current win streak to seven games.
Michael Bruce added 13 points in the win, while Jamezell Davis scored 12.
Shonte Suddeth had another strong game for Jackson (6-8), scoring a team-high 11 points.
Sam Williams scored 10 in the loss, while Jaylon Johnson came off the bench to score 10 as well.
Jackson hit only two 3-pointers all night
“We have nights where we can’t miss,” Crowley said. “We have those nights where we can’t make anything, and tonight was one where we were leaving shots short. It’s tough, because we played hard and we played exactly how wanted to on defense. … But if we keep playing with the effort we had tonight, we can’t be unhappy with what happens.”
The Vikings are back in action Friday night at home against Grand Ledge (9-5) at 7:30 p.m.
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.