Jimtown High School

Jimmies wipe out Knox in Sectional Semi-Final By Red Williams Freelance Sportswriter ELKHART – It was like a runaway truck going downhill all the way. And Jimtown’s Jimmies never let up on the gas in roaring past Knox, 68-27, Friday night (3.7.25) before 1,500 fans at Cook Court. They leaped to a 25-8 lead in the first quarter. Now they will face Bremen in tonight’s championship match in Class 2A Sectional 34 in the 115th running of the Indiana basketball tournament. Tip-off is at 7:30. The Jimmies (14-10) did it with a stifling zone defense that forced the Redskins (4-19) into 22 turnovers, six of them in the first-quarter onslaught. Add to that an opportunistic offense that couldn’t be stopped. The Jimmies continued their barrage in the second period, outscoring Knox 17-6, and went into the locker room with a huge 42-14 lead. Jimtown’s “big,” 6-foot-7 senior Branden King led the Jimmies with 14 points. But there was great sharing of the wealth, as demonstrated by the running account in the first period: King netted three baskets, all in-and-around the lane, Will Spurgeon hit for five, Javen Jackson put in six, including two steals and a beautiful reverse lay-in, Jackson Woolwine nailed a pair of three-pointers in a reserve role and Ed Potter cashed in with a two-for-two effort at the foul line. Jackson and Spurgeon both added 10, and Dylan Fey had nine. The Jimmies won the rebound battle, 23-19. “I thought we did a great job of rotating on defense and guarding their personnel correctly, based on their strengths. I like how we shared the ball and were ready to shoot when we were open.” Myles McLaughlin, the Redskins’ top point guy with a 15.8 average, was held to a pair of baskets. “Knox is an improving team,” Leighton added. They play mostly freshmen and sophomores. They are only gonna get better from here.” [Sidebar: If the reader is wondering how Knox has escaped the “political correctness” of maintaining its mascot at “Redskins,” here’s the answer. The Native Americans who deeded the original land to the school actually insisted the moniker be kept. It’s in the contract.] Jimtown will face a familiar foe, Bremen (13-10) for the title tonight. The Jimmies barely edged the Lions in the regular season, 56-54, in overtime on Jan. 31. It’s sure to be quite competitive. Score by quarter: Knox 8 6 7 6 = 27 Jimtown 25 17 9 17 = 68 Officials: Steve Jovanovic (Valparaiso), Tim Hamman (Leesburg), Paul Carter (Marion).