JC’s ‘O’ ignites
With a defense that ranks in the top 10 in the NAIA, the Jimmies were already tough to play.By: Dave Selvig, The Jamestown Sun, The Jamestown Sun
- Breshion Tucker
With a defense that ranks in the top 10 in the NAIA, the Jimmies were already tough to play.
But with some budding offensive firepower, Jamestown College is really becoming a handful.
Eight days after a three-point loss to seventh-ranked and unbeaten William Penn of Iowa, the Jimmies showed little rust in an 89-74 win over a Dickinson State team that is better than its 3-6 record suggests.
The Jimmies (7-6) got a big game from Davon Thomas to pull away late in the game for their seventh win of the season.
“We’ve bought in as a team to play the way coach wants us to play,” said the high-flying junior from Gaffney, S.C. “We can be a really good team and win a lot of games if we play the right way.
“We’re coming together. Our younger guys are figuring out this is a man’s game. This isn’t high school anymore. You gotta bring it every day in practice and on game day. We’re starting to do that consistently as a team.”
Thomas poured in a game-high 27 points, including a dagger 3-pointer that put the Jimmies up 78-68 with two minutes left. Thomas also has stepped up his game on the backboards for the undersized Jimmies. He pulled down eight rebounds against DSU and led the floor with four steals.
“Basically I’m just trying to do whatever my team needs me to do to win. That’s what we’re all out here trying to do,” Thomas said. “We’re learning our roles a lot better and figuring out what we each have to do.”
The 15-point spread was deceptive. The Blue Hawks had a 17-2 first-half run that had them up 41-38 at the break. They also led 65-64 when Johnie Sanders splashed in three of his team-high 18 points with less than seven minutes to go.
Coach Ty Orton had his usual creative way of capping the festivities.
“Almost 90 points? That’s just wrong,” he said. “We have to get better in the hard-nosed categories. You can’t give up 51 points in a half and 12 offensive rebounds and expect anything good to happen.”
The Jimmies are becoming tough to handle offensively. They connected on 54 percent of their shots. Mark Hoge added 19 points and Jared Sutherland had 13 big ones off the bench. Point guard Breshion Tucker dished out seven more assists to go with seven points.
“It’s not rocket science. When you make shots, things tend to go a lot smoother,” said Justin Wieck, who was pleased with his team’s offensive effort. “We had good flow. I thought we moved the ball well and got the shots we want. We weren’t being forced into shots that we don’t want to take, and that’s encouraging.”
The Jimmies hit the road Tuesday to face Minot State and former coach Matt Murken. The Beavers are struggling early against a tough schedule at 1-5.
Jamestown College 89, Dickinson State 74
Dickinson State 41 33 — 74
Jamestown College 38 51 — 89
Dickinson State — Johnie Sanders 18, Phillip Johnson Jr. 8, Ty Ackelson 13, Robbie Morey 6, John Hanstad 8, Anthony Hodges 2, Brock Boos 2, Isiah Thomas 2, Jarek Hansen 15. Totals: 27-62 FG, Three-pointers: 9-13 (Sanders 3, Hansen 3, Hanstad 2, Ackelson), 11-15 FT, 30 Rebounds (Sanders 9), 20 Fouls, 13 Assists (Ackelson 4, Morey 4), 18 Turnovers, 7 Steals (Ackelson 2, Morey 2).
Jamestown College — Dan Janu 2, Breshion Tucker 7, Taylor Newton 15, Davon Thomas 27, Mark Hoge 19, Jared Sutherland 13, Beny Collins 2, Jesse Behm 4. Totals: 31-57 FG, Three-pointers: Thomas 4, Sutherland 3, Hoge), 17-19 FT, 35 Rebounds (Thomas 8), 19 Fouls, 16 Assists (Tucker 7), 14 Turnovers, 3 Blocked shots (3 with 1), 13 Steals (Thomas 4, Hoge 3).
Records: Jamestown College 7-6; Dickinson State 3-6.
Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com
Tags: college sports, sports, basketball, jimmies
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