Jackson's 17 points, clutch free-throw shooting helps Wilcox Tech outlast O'Brien Tech

R.J. Jackson scored 17 points and Wilcox Tech hit its free throws down the stretch to hold off O'Brien Tech 66-62 Thursday in a Constitution State Conference matchup.

Roosevelt Shider added 11 points – including two-game clinching free throws with 10 seconds left – for the Indians (3-3), who rallied after blowing a 13-point halftime lead.

Clutch shooting from the free throw line, the Indians hit 11 of their last 12 attempts, saved the Wilcox from what would have been a tough loss to swallow. 

After Dondre Joyner's layup cut the lead to 64-62 with 10.4 seconds left, Shider strolled to the line and calmly iced the game.

"We actually shot pretty well from the foul line in the end, which worked in our advantage," Wilcox coach Jack Smith said.

The Indians were in control for most of the game and led by as many as 17 late in the first half.  Wilcox forced 14 turnovers and led 37-24 at halftime.  Jackson had 13 points in the first half.

The Condors woke up in the second half, however, and sliced the lead to 46-45 heading into the final period.

O'Brien carried the momentum into the fourth quarter and a 16-4 run gave the Condors a 47-46 lead with 7:10 left.  Tyler Lufo (15 points) capped the spurt with a layup that gave the Condors their first lead since it was 4-3 early in the first quarter.

O'Brien staged its rally by holding Wilcox without a field goal for almost eight minutes.

"They relaxed a little bit. They thought they had the game put away," Smith said. "We're a team that can't relax against anybody. We have to play hard the entire game, and that is what we were just talking about in the locker room."

Shaquan Jackson (11 points) extended O'Brien's lead to 52-46 with a put back with just over five minutes left.

Wilcox rallied, though, as freshman Sean Segedi's free throws capped a 13-6 run and put the Indians ahead for good at 59-58 with 2:02 remaining.

O'Brien pulled to within two points twice in the final 30 seconds, but the Indians knocked down six of their final seven free throws to seal it.  

Foul trouble is what ultimately hurt the short-handed Condors. Their best big man, Dennis Roan (eight points), fouled out with 2:20 left and Jackson fouled out moments later.

"We only go five deep," O'Brien Tech coach Dan Nemergut lamented.

Nemergut, who coached at Wilcox as recently as 2008, said it was a learning experience for his young team. The Condors, who finished 3-17 a season ago, don't have a single senior in their starting lineup.

"(I told them) if you learn from this, then it's O.K., but if you come out and do the same stuff then it's no good," he said. "They work real hard.  They are a great bunch of kids to work with. It's a shame it didn't work out for us."

The Indians have three straight road games before returning home to play Goodwin Tech on January 12.