Bishop Snyder- The iron was unkind for both teams early on in Tuesday night’s top ranked matchup between Andrew Jackson(#2 in Duval Sports Rankings) and Bishop Snyder (#4 in Duval Sports Rankings), as both teams struggled to hit shots. This came as no surprise with both teams thriving off of defense this season. Early contested shots led to struggle from both teams offensively, so both teams found other ways to score.
At the end of the first quarter Bishop Snyder held a 10-8 advantage in large part due to their ability to attack the rim with multiple players. All five starters scored in the first quarter for the Cardinals. To close the quarter, junior Jalen Gilmore passed to fellow junior 6 foot 9 Manok Lual for a thunderous dunk to the eruption of the home crowd.
Jackson’s struggles led to transition points for Bishop Snyder as they were able to rebound quickly and push the ball down court for scores. Said Jackson head coach James Collins, “We struggled to hit shots early on, so we had to step up on defense and play team ball. It was a total team effort”.
Even though Jackson struggled to knock down shots early on, they kept it close with free throws and second chance points. In the second quarter, junior center Stephon Payne hit free throws to cut into the Cardinal lead. Sophomore guard Michael Swift hit a three pointer and led Jackson with 6 points at the half. He finished with 11 points in the game. Lual along with Justin Hicks led Bishop Snyder with 6 points a piece as the Cardinals took an 18-16 into the locker room.
The second half saw action pick up especially in the third quarter. Both teams traded baskets, taking advantage of the lack of transition defense. The combination of Hicks and Lual continued to push the offense for Bishop Snyder. Both had 8 points in the third quarter and finished the game with 16 points a piece.
Jackson would step up the defense and Stephon Payne benefited on both ends. He blocked an attempted shot by the Cardinals, and hurried back on offense to get a lay in on offense. Hustle plays by Kevin Odom contributed to 4 points in the third as Jackson took a one point lead into the fourth.
Jackie Simmons III hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and continued his assault from the arch in the fourth. He would hit two 3’s in the fourth and finished the game with a team high 14 points.
Senior Davin Daniels helped clamp down on defense for Jackson, as Bishop Snyder wasn’t able to match their third period performance. No player for the Cardinals scored more than one basket in the final quarter, as Jackson got the victory on the road 54-42.
Jackson improved to 9-3 on the season, pushing past another top ranked team. The Tigers have already defeated Paxon, Lee and will face rival Ribault on 1/14/21. Bishop Snyder fell to 10-4 on the season and continues to look for that signature win over a top gateway conference team. That will have to wait as they have a big test against (#1 Duval Sports Ranked) Providence on Friday 1/15/21.
