Boys Basketball – Carter, Jags Front Court Too Much for TRS

JACKSON – There is never a scenario in which the Jackson Memorial boys basketball team voluntarily veers from its strategy to feed 6-foot-8 senior center and University of Delaware recruit Eric Carter the ball. There are times, however, that Carter takes it upon himself attack even more than usual and those decisions tend to pay off for the Jaguars.

Carter scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half against a smaller Toms River South lineup and the Jaguars – the No. 10 team in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 – rode a hot-shooting second half to a 60-45 win over the Indians Tuesday.

Jackson Memorial trailed for most of the game and did not lead by more than one point until the fourth quarter. After Toms River South took a 40-36 lead on a 3-pointer by junior Tymere Berry the first possession of the fourth, Jackson went on a 12-1 run and closed the game on a 24-5 run overall.

The offense during the Jackson surge ran through Carter, who attacked the basket early in the third quarter and drew the third and fourth fouls on Toms River South starting forward Darius Hart, who at 6-foot-3 is the tallest player in the regular rotation for the Indians. Hart sat on the bench with four fouls for nearly eight minutes, during which time Carter scored nine points.

“I just had to keep attacking,” Carter said. “(Hart) did a good job on me in the first half and I was able to get inside and get him into foul trouble and once he went to the bench, it seemed like things opened up and there was a little more room to breathe. I got a couple quick scores and everything opened up for everyone else.”

Even with Hart back in the game, the Indians could not stop Carter and junior frontcourt mate Jesse Hill, who scored 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half. During the second half, all but one of Jackson Memorial’s 16 field goals were either scored or assisted by Carter or Hill. The lone field goal that wasn’t was a fast-break lay-up by junior guard C.J. Blue.

“The plan is always to get the ball to Eric and run the offense through him, but for whatever reason, that didn’t happen to start the game,” Jackson Memorial coach Joe Fagan said. “The ball went inside to him once for one shot in the first quarter. That’s a problem. Eventually, our guards needed to realize our best player plays down low and we should get him the ball down there. It isn’t rocket science.”

On top of his 18 points, Carter finished with 13 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals, while Hill also grabbed seven rebounds and knocked down three 3-pointers. Senior Marcus Ademilola – the Jaguars’ other starter in the front court – scored eight of his 10 points in the second half as well.

Berry led Toms River South with 16 points, including 13 in the second half. The junior guard hit four of the team’s eight 3-pointers and half of the Indians’ 16 field goals came from behind the arc. Toms River South shot 8-for-20 from three-point range.

“Defending the three is way easier said than done, especially against of group of guards like they have who are quick off the dribble,” Fagan said. “Not many athletes can keep them from getting into the lane and still prevent them from getting their shot off, so you have to concede something and for us, we didn’t want them dribbling past us. Most high school shooters aren’t going to make a whole lot of shots with a hand up, so if they were going to try to beat us with threes, then so be it.”

Jackson Memorial now leads the Shore Conference Class A South division by two games in the loss column halfway through the division schedule. Toms River South, Brick Memorial and Southern each have three losses in the division and only Southern has beaten Jackson within the division.

“We looked at this as a big game in the division, but the way things have been in A South, every game has been a battle,” Carter said. “Every team poses a different challenge and the season has pretty much shown that with how everyone is bunched together. The team that wants it the most is going to win it and the best thing for us is to take one game at a time.”

Box Scores

Jackson Memorial 60, Toms River South 45

Toms River South (45): Marquis Davis 2 1-4 7, Khaleel Green 1 4-8 7, Darius Hart 3 0-0 7, Tyler Fall 3 0-0 6, Tymere Berry 6 0-0 16, Francis Hearne 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 5-12 45

Three-pointers: Davis 2, Green, Hart, Berry 4

Jackson Memorial (60): Gino Palummo 2 0-0 4, C.J. Blue 2 1-2 6, Eric Carter 8 2-5 18, Jesse Hill 7 2-3 19, Marcus Ademilola 4 1-2 10, Jimmy Markham 1 0-0 3, Eddie Landi 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 6-12 60

Three-pointers: Blue, Hill 3, Ademilola, Markham