Jackson Christian boys escape Sacred Heart

Riley Ragan and Jeremy Stewart led all scorers with 18 points apiece as Jackson Christian struggled with Sacred Heart but eventually came away with the 50-46 victory Friday night.

“The last two days we have had really tough practices,” Jackson Christian coach JD Byrd said. “We came out more tired than expected, and [Sacred Heart] did a good job slowing down the pace and keeping us out of rhythm for most of the game.”

Neither team was able to find much scoring in the first quarter. Stewart hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, giving the Eagles the 10-9 lead.

Sacred Heart went on a 6-0 run early in the second quarter to take the 17-12 lead, their largest lead of the game, but the Eagles answered by closing the last four and a half minutes of the half on a 9-2 run of their own to lead 21-19 at halftime.

“[Sacred Heart] got back quick on defense and into a 2-3 zone, which did not let us push the ball like we want and took away our transition game,” Byrd said. “We had a lack of intensity on the defensive end which led to some easy layups for them.”

Coming out in the second half it was Ragan who created some offense for Jackson Christian, scoring six of his 18 points in the first four minutes of the third quarter.

“Riley really came out, especially the first three possessions of the second half, and got some buckets for the team,” Byrd said. “He was able to find the basket and keep us in the game.”

With the game tied 29-29 and 3:05 left in the third quarter, Ragan hit a 3-pointer to put Jackson Christian up 32-29, a lead it did not relinquish.

As they had done at the end of the second quarter, the Eagles finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run to give them the 38-31 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Knights fought relentlessly in the fourth quarter to try to find baskets to pull even but were only able to get it as close as 44-43 with 51 seconds left in the game. Jackson Christian sealed the victory from the free throw line down the stretch.

Besides Ragan and Stewart, the Eagles did not have anyone score more than five points. Evan Ashlock finished with 16 points to lead the Knights, with teammate Wes Ragsdale contributing eight.