JA wins state title in triple overtime thriller

Jackson Academy won their second straight MAIS 6A state title in a 65-54 triple overtime thriller over tournament hosts Hartfield Academy on Saturday night, making clutch play after clutch play to win one of the best games of the year. 

It was a game of runs and momentum throughout this one, as Jackson Academy took a 28-20 lead into the halftime break. However, Hartfield Academy came out firing in the third quarter to cut the Raider lead to one going into the final quarter. Both teams matched each other evenly in the fourth quarter and sent the game to overtime. 

With the momentum seemingly on Hartfield Academy’s side in the second half, the Raiders never wavered, as the game moved to overtime.

After a buzzer-beating three by Hartfield Academy sent the game to a third overtime, Jackson Academy went on an 11-0 run in that third overtime to capture the title. 

“I just can’t say enough about this group and their resiliency, especially our seniors,” Jackson Academy Head Coach Jesse Taylor said. “They battled all night long and they are truly what it means to be a Raider.”

A phenomenal defensive effort in the final overtime period and throughout the game as a whole is what the Raiders leaned on to come away with the win in this one.

“We played with phenomenal intensity on the defensive end of the court all night long and you have to have that in these types of games,” Taylor said. “You have to have guys buy into playing that style of basketball and our guys do that.” 

While Marcus Goodloe led Jackson Academy in scoring with 23 points and put together a phenomenal overall performance, players like senior Schyler Chambers filled a spark plug role and made winning plays as well for the Raiders. 

Chambers picked up a critical technical foul late in the game, but responded with several important plays down the stretch and a huge three to turn the game’s momentum, which opened the scoring in the third overtime. Chambers has made huge hustle plays and made clutch baskets down the stretch for the Raiders all season long and that did not change in Saturday’s win.

“He is just a really good kid that didn’t really even know that was a technical,” Taylor said. “He really responded well to that because of who he is and how tough he is and made several key plays for us down the stretch that showed how important he is for our team.”

Jackson Academy will now shift their focus to the MAIS overall state tournament over the next couple of weeks. The Raiders earned a first-round bye with the title game win. 

The winner of Monday’s game between Greenville Christian and Simpson Academy will decide the first opponent for Jackson Academy. Greenville Christian finished as the runner-up in the 4A tournament, while Simpson Academy finished in third place in the 5A tournament. 

Jackson Academy will open the MAIS overall tournament on February 24th at Mississippi College, with tip-off set up for 3:30 PM.