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CAGED TIGERS

3/11/05


McClain's Danté Jackson goes for a layup in the second half Wednesday against Linden McKinley. McClain was defeated 67-53 in the Division II regional semifinal game at Ohio University's Convocation Center.

McKinley sends McClain home with regional semifinal loss

By LANCE CRANMER
Gazette Sports Writer

ATHENS -- Danté Jackson came out with something to prove Wednesday night.

After Linden McKinley coach Jimmy Jones alluded earlier in the week that Jackson would not be considered one of the top players in Columbus' City League, the McClain sophomore set out to prove Jones wrong.

Though the Tigers fell to McKinley 67-53 in the regional semifinal matchup, Jackson set a new school record, amassing 39 points on 17 of 28 shooting.

"I was kind of shocked that that was said. I guess that's what happens," Jackson said. "I just came out and tried to do the things to help my team win. We just fell a little short."

"I'll tell you what, he's a good basketball player," Jones said afterward. "I never said I didn't respect him. I said I didn't know much about him. The point of it is, it takes five people to win a basketball game. He needed help."

Behind Jackson's game-high total, McClain's next-highest scorer was Michael Howard with four points.

"We needed somebody else to step up and score, just like last year in the regionals," Tigers coach Rick VanMatre said. "We didn't have anybody else step up and score for us."

That, plus the Panthers' team depth and incredible athleticism, helped Linden McKinley grab an early lead and slowly build on it throughout the game.

McClain's last lead came at the 2:21 mark of the second quarter when Jackson connected on a 3-pointer to put the Tigers ahead 24-23.

After that, it was too much McKinley, and way too much Shaun Gunnell.

A 6-foot-3 senior built more like a tank than a guard/forward, Gunnell wreaked havoc on the Tigers' interior defense.

"He manhandled us inside. I've never had a kid manhandle one of my teams like that," VanMatre said. "He was just so physical. We just cannot play against a kid 6-3, 240 (pounds) that's going to do those kind of things inside. He threw people around. He physically threw them around."

Gunnell scored nine-straight points for the Panthers, including a trey that recaptured the lead for good at 26-24.

He finished with 29 points and eight rebounds, and his inside presence caused lots of problems for McClain.

"He just dominated us inside," VanMatre said. "That was my No. 1 concern. Particularly on the offensive boards. They just wore us down."

The Tigers trailed 29-25 at the half and kept within striking distance, trailing just 43-38 going into the fourth quarter. But with the lack of depth on the McClain bench and the abundance of it that McKinley bolstered, fatigue became a factor.

"What happened was, as good of a basketball player as (Jackson) is, his legs got a little weak," Jones said. "When you're running the floor for four quarters, that's a lot of work. We shot a couple different people on him all night, and I think that helped."

Though he'd been a force in every other aspect all night, Jackson shot just 1-of-8 from the foul line in the final period, and continued to get banged around inside by the Panthers defense.

"Towards the end of the game I kind of got a little fatigued. But it's not really an excuse," Jackson said. "We didn't execute when we needed to late in the game. They just got offensive rebounds and second opportunities for shots. That was a big key. If we box out and do the little things, we're in the game at the end."

As McClain began to slow down, the Panthers continued to push the ball down the floor, led by James Davis.

The sophomore scored six points in the final minute as Linden rattled off a 12-4 run over the final 1:41 to extend its lead.

"The game was a lot closer than what the final score indicated," VanMatre said. "We just ran completely out of gas. From about the three-minute mark of the third quarter and the whole fourth quarter, we were just running on fumes."

Davis finished with 13 points and teammate Samuel Payne added 15 points and nine rebounds.

To complement his 39 points, Jackson also had eight rebounds, four steals and three assists.

McClain finishes its district championship season at 22-3.

The team loses three seniors in Matt Binegar, Joel Anderson and Skyler Gill, but returns a very solid core of players for next year.

"This has been a wonderful group to be around," VanMatre said. "We only lose three seniors. Hopefully this will just lead to more great things for McClain basketball."

Linden McKinley (10-14) advances to the regional title game Saturday against Zanesville, which defeated Claymont earlier in the evening, 63-40.

(Cranmer can be reached at 772-9304 or via e-mail at lcranmer@nncogannett.com)