Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
JACKSON — Wheelersburg’s Braylon Rucker ended Tuesday night with a new career milestone, but it was Jackson who walked away with the last laugh.
Rucker, who’s been outstanding all season, became the latest member of Wheelersburg’s 1,000 point club.
But in an overall sense of the night, Jackson’s physicality and ability to stay calm and execute in the closing moments made the difference between a win and a loss.
The Ironmen (10-2) shot 57 percent from the field and had three players end the night in double-digit scoring figures, handing Rucker and the Pirates their first loss of the season by a 67-57 final.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“This is such a great team win, and I thought our bench guys in C.J. Crabtree, Dayton Kallner and Eli Ray did such a great job playing their roles,” Jackson coach Max Morrow said. “Every high school player wants to play all 32 minutes if they’re true competitors, but those guys accept their roles and sacrifice for the good of the team. Those guys played so well in their minutes and that’s what made this such a special win.”
While the bench play was stellar, so was Jax Carroll.
Known more as a deep threat, the senior guard showed a side of his game that isn’t often focused on — his ability to drive and finish at the rim.
Playing with a sense of aggression and in a seemingly constant attack mode, Carroll ended the night with 21 points and three assists.
“He’s made the biggest leap of any player we have on the team. He’s a kid that scores the ball really well and someone who we can’t take out of the game,” Morrow said. “Last year, we wouldn’t have thought about putting him on Rucker, but that’s the type of growth he’s made and he’s elevated his game to a new level this year.”
Carroll opened the night with two technical foul free throws and a bucket at the rim to quickly put Jackson ahead 4-0.
The Ironmen were off to the races from there.
PHOTOS: Images from Jackson’s win over Wheelersburg
Ryan Seimetz and Bodhi Wolford connected on back-to-back 3’s that extended the lead to 13-2 before they closed out the quarter with a 16-7 advantage.
Wheelersburg (7-1) absorbed the early blow, and began to punch back. Rucker and Landon McGraw led the charge on an 8-1 run to bring the deficit to 17-15. However, Wolford and teammate Stephen Jenkins answered with buckets on the other end to keep Jackson ahead at 28-22 going into the break.
Carroll opened the third with a pair of buckets before Wolford connected from deep to cap a 7-2 run, extending the lead into double digits at 35-24.
The Pirates continued to fight as Hunter Bivens knocked down six free throws, Graer Woodward converted inside and Rucker scored twice, cutting the deficit to 42-38.
However, Jackson’s Dayton Kallner scored inside to beat the buzzer, making it 44-38 going into the fourth.
“Even though it’s still a two-possession game, a four-point game compared to a six-point game is a big difference,” Morrow said. “That shot by Dayton was huge and really got him going. Those types of plays mean so much and it can change how a team decides to attack. And realizing that in order to tie, you’re needing two lower percentage shots from deep inside of high percentage shots at the rim.”
Rucker scored to open the fourth, tallying his 1,000th career point, only for Kallner and Wolford to connect on the other end to push the lead up to 48-40.
Still, the Pirates continued to battle and Bivens logged three points the old fashioned way, capping a 7-2 spurt that brought the score to 50-47.
But that was the closest the Pirates could get throughout the rest of the night. Kallner and Crabtree scored the next six points before the Ironmen put things into cruise control to close out the win.
“This is one of the biggest non-conference games we’re going to play all season, and it’s a competitive rivalry no matter what sport it is,” Morrow said. “Wheelersburg has five guys that can dribble, pass and shoot, so we knew this was going to be a different type of matchup. But it’s a great RPI win and it gives us a lot of momentum as we jump back into conference play.”
Following Carroll’s final statistics on the night, Wolford finished with 13 points and eight rebounds while Jenkins added 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Rucker finished with 21 points, giving him 1,009 career points to date, while Hunter Bivens added 11 of his own to the mix.
After suffering a loss in conference play to Chillicothe on Friday, Jackson will now try to rebound at Washington on Tuesday. Meanwhile, after a bounce-back win over West on Friday, the Pirates looks towards a matchup with Miami Valley Christian Academy on Saturday at Portsmouth High School.
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