Jacksonville, AL – Recovering from a the strep infection that lasted for a week and energy-depleted Gannaway finds his best form in the fourth quarter to aid JCA stop Donoho from taking over the team.
By Joe Medley
JACKSONVILLEJacksonville Christian’s boys are seven players in the varsity squad and a seasonal illness brought players from the Thunder reduced to just five players in the last game.
Jesse Gannaway returned from his seven-day bout of strep JCA’s win 61-57 against Donoho on Thursday, and evidently was not himself. He’s the player who gets the ball to on the courts, but not the one who hands it over to the other players to perform the job.
When the Thunder required a player to help keep Donoho from gaining ground during the fourth quarter, Gannaway had enough energy to be the man. Gannaway scored 10 points of the 24 he had in the fourth quarter quarter, including two 3-pointers. JCA was able to improve to 6-10 for the season.
“Jesse was tired and giving out,” JCA coach Tommy Miller stated. “I realized he wanted to get the ball out of his hands several times during the fourth quarter, but the ball was sucked up by him at the final.”
Gannaway visited the doctor following JCA performed Coosa Christian in December. 27. He received a Strep diagnosis. The illness kept him off until Thursday.
He fought during the initial three periods, while other players carried their Thunder in the Donoho match. Noah Lee scored 15 of his 17 points over the opening three minutes. The Thunder’s rebounding powerhouse picked up 14 rebounds, along and assist six times in the game that Miller described as “maybe his most impressive overall game in the season.”
Bryson Dowdey scored three points at the end of the fourth quarter however, thirteen of the 17 points were scored during the initial three minutes. Dowdey also scored five boards as well as two steals.
There was a moment where it appeared Gannaway could have a smooth second half, but the Donoho came back from a 33-23 deficit at halftime. Jayden Cameron Ethan Crawford, Sam Johnson and Blake Sewell scored 12 points each, and the Falcons played a back-andforth match in the second quarter.
“Offensively it was all exactly the same (in in the final period),” Donoho coach Korielle Beavers told reporters. “I think we just were more aggressive.
“They kicked at us with their mouths and we continued to take the punch, and eventually we started to punch a bit late.”
The game was being played by the player who was not feeling as slack or even hands-on, however he was able to make the shots that fell to him. He also played Lee for his sole fourth-quarter basket after Lee backs down to a defender one-on-1 on the block in the low area.
Gannaway was the sole JCA player to score 10 points in its 16 4th-quarter points in the fourth quarter.
“I was just trying to develop into the Kobe (Bryant) mindset I guess it’s possible to say,” Gannaway said. “I simply had to be able to dominate the game and attempt to win the game for the team, and then try to achieve whatever I can accomplish.”
