JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s about bragging rights and a title.
Friday night, Jackson faces Ribault for the Gateway Conference boys basketball championship.
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It will mark the third meeting between the two schools this year, and the previous two meetings have gone down to the wire.
Ribault (17-4) won the first matchup Dec. 13, coming from behind to win 39-38 at Jackson, handing the Tigers one of only two losses to a team from Jacksonville this season. Sixteen days later, Jackson (13-10) gained revenge with a 62-58 win in Ribault’s gym.
“The first time went to the game kind of overlooking them feeling like, you know, we were going to win the second game. We had something to prove. And we proved that,” said Jackson junior guard Joseph Bargeron. “Gateway is definitely a turning point for our season. It’s to start us off and get us prepared for districts.”
On Friday, they’ll meet to decide the best of the Gateway Conference. Jackson has won four of the last five Gateway tournament championships.
“It means a lot to them. And it’s their legacy,” said Jackson head coach James Collins. “It means a lot to me to just keep winning them and just be in the conversation of being one of the best teams. But with that, we’re trying to make it five of six years and possibly be a third in a row. So we’re hoping to get that third in a row.”
With 10 losses this season, Jackson’s resume may not look strong at first glance, but the losses have come to strong teams from around the state. An early tournament loss to Tampa Catholic was the only defeat for the Tigers in the season’s first six games. Then a loss at Daytona Beach Mainland followed by tournament losses to P.K. Young, Martin County, Gainesville and Lake Minneola produced a rare four-game losing skid for the Tigers.
Three straight wins followed back-to-back January losses to Weston Sagemont and Paxon before falling to Florida High. Jackson then avenged the loss to Paxon in the Gateway Conference tournament, beating the Eagles 41-38 on Wednesday night.
After Friday’s final, the Tigers have one more game on the regular season schedule, a Feb. 4 matchup with Cocoa, making Friday’s game key to the Tigers’ late-season momentum.
“It’s very important because it’s a tournament-style play,” Collins said. “You lose, you’re out. So it has that tournament and district feel to let you know that if you lose, you’re going to be done for the tournament. So it’s very important for us.”
Ribault has enjoyed a smoother season. After an overtime loss at Riverside in the second game of the season, the Trojans rolled off 10 straight wins before losing to Jackson. Caleb Williams leads the Trojans scoring 13.3 points per game while handing out a team-high 5.3 assists. The junior scored double figures in 10 of his last 11 games. In the two games against Jackson, he has averaged nine points and six assists.
Jackson has won the last two Gateway Conference championships and four of the last five. Last season the Tigers advanced to the state finals before falling to Calvary Christian.