Missed opportunities by Washington Court House and made free throws down the stretch were enough for Jackson to pull out a 52-47 FAC victory Friday night.
Jackson took the lead early and was able to hold for the majority of the game. They led 13-8 after the first quarter and then went on a 7-0 run to start the second. They were up 20-8 with exactly four minutes remaining in the quarter and Washington had yet to score in the period. The Blue Lions did respond by going on a 12-4 run to close out the half and cut the Ironmen lead to 4, 24-20.
The first half saw the Blue Lions shoot 45% on 9-20 shooting, they committed 8 turnovers and were just 1-6 from beyond the arc. Jackson shot 40% on 10-25 shooting and knocked down 2-6 three point shots.
Quarter number three saw Washington take their first lead of the game at the 3:50 mark and from that point it was back and forth until the end. Washington led 33-32 at the end of the quarter outscoring Jackson 13-8 in the period. The final quarter was like a mad dash to the finish with the Blue Lions missing easy shots around the bucket. They were able to cut the lead to 3 but were forced to foul. Jackson Junior point guard Caleb Wallis knocked down four straight free throws to give Jackson the victory, 52-47.
Senior Cooper Donaldson led Jackson 11-5 (5-3) in scoring with 19 points followed by Wallis' 16. The Ironmen shot 41% on the night going 10-49 from the field, 2-9 from three point range, they shot 10-12 from the free throw line and committed 13 turnovers.
Washington 10-5 (5-3) was led in scoring by Senior Evan Upthegrove with a game high 25. He was the only Blue Lion in double figures. They shot 19-48 from the field for 40%, knocked down 4-16 from beyond the arc for 25% shot 5-8 from the free throw line and committed just 10 turnovers.
Washington Court House has six games remaining including two league games with McClain and Miami Trace. They next play Logan Elm on Tuesday at home.