Boys Basketball
Final Score: 63-53 Carroll over Snider
One of the most entertaining games of the year took place when Carroll and Snider faced off in the regular season. The Chargers won a tight contest, with the game coming down to a game winning shot right under the basket by Jalen Jackson. With these two teams facing off for a second time on the hardwood, many expected another incredible game.
Things went about as expected in the first half, with the two teams tied after the first quarter. Then, with the teams trading buckets in the final minutes of the half, Snider was able to grab a 25-24 lead. Karson Jenkins was responsible for most of those points with 13 in the half and 19 in total last night. However, it was what was happening on Carroll’s side that was the story.
Jalen Jackson has led the Chargers in scoring by a large margin this season, finishing as the leading scorer for his team in almost every game. So leading his team at halftime wasn’t a huge deal, but having 20 of his teams 24 points at the half was. Jackson’s first half total would be more than what any other player would reach all game.
As Jackson continued to dominate, his team picked up the slack on defense with numerous steals that turned into points at the other end. With the turnovers, the Panthers would lose their rhythm on offense, as their fast-paced offensive attack couldn’t generate any open looks, causing them to fall behind 44-35 in the fourth quarter. Carroll, holding on to their largest lead of the game would keep up the aggression on the offensive end. While Snider eventually got back to themselves, and even got a few steals and easy baskets of their own, it didn’t matter as Carroll kept their focus and didn’t let off the gas. As a result, the Chargers would win their first sectional championship since 2016.
“It was always a goal,” Jackson said. “Every year, we wanted to win a sectional. The past couple of years we fell short. But this year we worked hard from the summer to now to be able to stay together, to compete, have fun together, and combine as a group so it feels great to be a part of this tonight.”
The win, however, wasn’t the only thing that Jackson had to celebrate. He would also break two school records, with those in attendance witnessing the most points scored, 45, and most field goals, 20, ever made by a Charger. His records are bound to hold for a long time.
Carroll wasn’t the only school in the SAC to win their sectional on Saturday. Homestead, as expected, blasted South Side and New Haven to win their first sectional since 2018. The two schools will be in the same regional, but to get a Carroll-Homestead rematch, Carroll will have to defeat Lafayette Jeff and Homestead will need to beat Carmel. Both games will be next Saturday morning in Logansport. For now though, the Chargers will enjoy this win as their season stays alive.
“We’re going to celebrate this tonight, but we’ve got to reset and refocus for a tough regional,” Jackson said. “You have Homestead, you have Carmel, you have Lafayette Jeff, so there’s all these good teams that are going to be at regionals. We’ve got to come into practice next week with the same mentality, just to get better and bring 110%.”
