Logan men blow out Kaskaskia

CENTRALIA - Jonah Jackson was so hot that even one of his misses went in the basket.

Jackson came in off the bench and drilled six 3-pointers for 18 points to lead the John A. Logan College men's basketball team to a 93-60 rout of Kaskaskia College on Wednesday night - and one of his rare misses hit the top of the backboard and came down through the net.

"It's hard not to notice a guy who can shoot like that," said Logan coach Kyle Smithpeters, whose team improved to 15-4 overall and 6-3 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference.

Logan trailed early but took the lead at 16-15 on a bucket by Vonnie Patterson. Moments later Jackson entered and caught fire.

Jackson's first triple put Logan up 21-17, then his second and third came after a David Sloan layup and suddenly the Vols had a 15-2 run and a 29-17 lead.

After the Blue Devils scored, Jackson sank his fourth. Before the half was over, Patterson scored his 12th point and Ronnie Carson hit a trey of his own and Logan took a 46-34 lead into the break.

The second half was all Logan.

Jaiveon Eaves joined the long-range run and Sloan took in another layup for a 55-36 lead and Quamain Nelson put in back-to-back layups to push it out. Derek Hawthorne Jr. added his name to the list of bombers and Logan was suddenly up by 20.

Jackson's fifth and sixth 3-pointers - followed by another triple from Eaves - inflated Logan's lead to 75-49 lead with 8:20 remaining. Sloan hit the Vols' last of their 11 triples in the final minutes.

Smithpeters said all that offense was a result of strong play at the other end of the court.

"When we're locked in defensively as a team," Smithpeters said, "then we can be very, very good."

Marion's Justin Shadowens played the final eight minutes and did not score but dished out a couple nifty assists and grabbed a rebound. One of the assists was to Will Keller, a basket that made Logan's bench erupt in joy.

Jackson's 18 points led the Vols, while Patterson and Eaves both finished with 12. Romelo Burrell and Nelson both had 10 to give Logan five players in double figures.

It was nearly eight players as Carson had nine, Sloan finished with eight and Hawthorne put in seven.

Justin Shaw scored 20 points to lead Kaskaskia, which fell to 11-7 and 4-4.

Logan's next game is Saturday at Lincoln Trail.