Indians pull away late for first regional quarterfinal trip in 11 years



Josh Isaac (4) tries to corral a loose ball for Jourdanton in their 94-78 win over Santa Gertrudis Academy in the Area Round of playoffs. SAM FOWLER | PLEASANTON EXPRESS

THREE RIVERS — The no. 25-ranked Jourdanton Indians clinched their first trip to the regional quarterfinals since 2009.

Jourdanton (26-6) was able to fend off the Santa Gertrudis Academy Lions 94-78 after finding their rhythm late in a game that featured 54 total fouls — 27 from each team.

“I honestly don’t have words or a voice,” Head Coach Truman Reagan joked. “This is something we talked about at the beginning of the season. We all sat down before our first practice and said what our goals were and laid out a plan of what it would take to get there. We just took the next step tonight.”

Leading 62-60 with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter, senior Jacob Mendoza got a layup before junior shooting guard Jarel Lilly nailed back-to-back three-pointers to spur a 10-2 run and extend Jourdanton’s lead to 72-63 with 5:50 left in the game.

The Indians would close the game on a 13-4 run with Lilly hitting another three-pointer along the way en route to 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Jarel Lilly hits a contested three-pointer against Santa Gertrudis Academys Kenny Williams 23) in Friday nights Area Round playoff. SAM FOWLER | PLEASANTON EXPRESS

“I just had to find my rhythm, my spark,” said Lilly, who finished with 22 points. “Once I let the first one go, I was like, ‘Oh, this one’s going in.’ I found it in the last few minutes of the game.”

Jourdanton’s only other sustained run before the 7-minute mark in the fourth quarter was a 10-2 run in the first quarter. That was because a fast and physical SGA team executed their gameplan of forcing the Indians into tight spots and foul trouble. The plan helped the Lions, who trailed 37-29 at halftime and by as many as 12 points in the first half, trim the deficit to 62-58 entering the fourth quarter and to as few as two points early in the final period.

“We haven’t seen a team that all-around,” senior point guard Jake Reyna said. “They could shoot, they could drive, find the open man. It was difficult, but we got it done.”

Reyna fouled out in the fourth quarter, but not before dropping a game-high 29 points. Jourdanton finished the game with their starting five in double figures for scoring.

“Man, they overcame a lot tonight,” Reagan praised of his team. “We knew this was gonna be tough. [Santa Gertrudis] was athletic, they’re a good basketball team. But we knew our best would be better than their best. [We] rose to the occasion, they’ve been resilient all year. They don’t quit.”

Mendoza finished with 12 points. Juniors Colton Schuchart (11) and Payton Gonzales (10) also finished in double figures.

In addition to his 29-point night, Reyna added seven rebounds to tie for the team-high with Mendoza. Jourdanton controlled the boards overall with 33 rebounds to SGA’s 26.

“It was critical for us,” Mendoza said of Jourdanton’s play down low. “We had to take control of that so we could win the game.”

Jourdanton will face no. 12 Aransas Pass (29-8) in the regional quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Kenedy High School.

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