Well, you couldn’t have drawn up a season-opening game better than this.
The Jackson Indians Boys Varsity Basketball team kicked off the 2022-23 campaign with a more than dominant 74-25 victory over the Fort Zumwalt North Panthers. Now sitting at 1-0 on the very young season, the Indians dominated in every facet of the game in this one.
The first quarter set the stage, as they ripped off 24 points and allowed just three to put the game essentially to bed after just eight minutes. For those keeping score at home, that is a 24-3 advantage.
The second quarter wasn’t much different, as the Indians drained another 18 and allowed just four. That continuous domination led to a ridiculous 42-7 halftime lead and had the home crowd buzzing to start the season.
The halftime talk from Head Coach Kory Thoma clearly was inspiring, seeing as how his Tribe put up another 24 points in the third quarter, and allowed just nine from the Panthers. The 66-16 lead at that point was enough for Jackson to take their foot off the gas and slow-play the final quarter. They were outscored 9-8, but didn’t have any reason to press things with the game already in hand.
That made the final score 74-25 and locked in the first win of what should be an impressive season for the Indians.
Judd Thoma led the charge with 15 points and also had six rebounds and four assists. He was chased in the scoring department by Blayne Harris though, who managed 14 and hit two of the team’s successful three-point tries. Kaedmon Winborne and Steven Schneider each had 12 points to round out the players in double digits, and Clayton Ernst nearly missed a double-double with nine points and seven rebounds.
This was a stage-setting win for the Indians, and Jackson should be primed to go on a deep run. Obviously, it’s as early as it gets, but there is nothing like starting out on the right foot.
They will start the SEMO Conference Tournament next by taking on Sikeston.
