JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jackson boys basketball team is heading to the state championship game.
The Tigers overcame a brief deficit with just over three minutes to play and pulled away from Villages Charter 47-43 in the Class 4A state semifinals on Thursday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
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Jackson will face St. Petersburg Gibbs on Saturday at 3 p.m. for the state championship. The Tigers have beaten Gibbs this season (52-48), part of their current 21-game winning streak.
Villages surged back from a 10-point hole in the third quarter to take a 39-36 lead with 4:51 to play. But Jackson kicked things into high gear after that deficit, ripping off an 8-0 run to regain control and grind it out until the finish. Albert Laguerre, Ronald Durham, Jaylen Dopson and TayVion Lawson all scored during that run, a hallmark of the depth of Collins’ Tigers.
Durham and Octavius Lawson kept Jackson in front at the foul line as they closed in on a long-sought championship. Lawson had 15 points and Laguerre added 14 for Jackson.
It’s been nearly 31 years since the Tigers’ last title. Back then, senior James Collins led the Tigers to a 90-67 win over Rockledge to deliver the Class 2A championship. Collins, now the head coach of his alma mater, has built Jackson into an annual contender.
The Tigers have played for state championships under Collins in 2019, 2020 and ‘22. They also reached the final four in 2021. This may be Jackson’s best shot at winning one under Collins.