Bulldogs put hammerlock on Jackson, seize outright Federal League title
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
JACKSON TWP.--Canton McKinley staggered Jackson early with an early flurry and appeared to be on their way to an early knockout of the host Polar Bears.
But playing at Jackson High School, victories are always to be earned.
Such was the case for the Bulldogs as they survived an early fourth quarter flurry by Jackson that saw them take their only lead of the game 11 seconds into the fourth quarter when freshman Mason Morris drilled a three-point basket from the right corner to hand Jackson a 47-46 lead. Undeterred by the blow, senior Davey Thompson retaliated with a three-point basket to recapture a lead that McKinley did not relinquish the duration of the evening and were able to depart with a 68-55 victory that snagged an outright league championship for the Bulldogs, who are now 15-3 on the season and 11-0 in league play.
McKinley used an early 9-0 run to erect a double digit lead to conclude the first quarter with a 21-8 advantage.
The Polar Bears responded well to the early McKinley onslaught as they resorted to high percentage baskets that allowed them to pull within six points. But McKinley's Davey Thompson connected on a buzzer beating three pointer that extended the Bulldogs advantage back to nine to venture into the intermission with a 35-26 lead and 16 minutes from an outright Federal League championship.
An Anthony Chavers steal and dunk could have deflated the hosts. But the Polar Bears calmly worked their way into the game and an 18-10 third quarter allowed them to be down by one going into the fourth quarter.
If McKinley was going to capture the outright league title, it was going to have to be earned and not given to them by a silver spoon.
For third-year McKinley coach Sean Weatherspoon, seizing the league title outright was priority number one for the Bulldogs crossed off their checklist.
"It feels good. We have been in the Federal League for 21 years and have won it six times, that shows how tough the league is and to win it outright is an attribute to the hard work in the offseason, hard work during the season and we definitely should be proud of that," Weatherspoon said.
For Jackson (11-7, 8-3), their five-game winning streak concluded amid a batch of missed opportunities in the fourth quarter. Veteran head coach Tim Debevec rued the missed opportunities that befell his squad, especially a woeful evening behind three point range, where they connected on just one the entire evening.
"We can't shoot 1 for 19 from three point range and win a game like that. Tonight, we only had one. I thought we battled and played hard," Debevec said. "We have got to find a way to finish. This is game 17. I'm sick and tired of people saying that we're young. I can see if it's two or three games but this is game 17 and we have to find a way to win. We've played a lot of basketball now," Debevec said.
McKinley was paced by 16 points from junior center Jamar Keyes, who had 11 in the second half with Ed Webster finishing with 10. Thompson had eight for the visitors.
Jackson had three players in double figures as they were led by the 18 points of Chase Maurer, 16 from Kaiden Loy, and 11 from Mason Morris.
McKinley will turn their sights to a Saturday contest against Harvest Prep, who is coached by longtime commander David Dennis Sr. And it is a game that may go a way into determining where the Bulldogs will be seeded come the sectional-district tournament draw. Weatherspoon is taking it one game at a time.
"We have to see what is in front of us and our biggest thing is taking care of us. We have to continue to win games and take them one at a time and see where the chips fall," he said.
Canton McKinley staggered Jackson and appeared to be on their way to an early knockout of the Polar Bears. Eventually, the knockout came three quarters later than expected and as a result, their outright league title was rightfully earned.
