Center Grove boys rally past Cathedral

<p>Just as everyone expected, the highly-anticipated battle between two of the state’s top seniors wound up being headlined by a freshman.</p><p>Tayven Jackson’s 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining capped Center Grove’s comeback from 10 points down in the fourth quarter and lifted the Class 4A No. 4 Trojans to a 63-60 triumph over No. 3 Cathedral on Friday night.</p><p>Jackson’s shot, a wide-open look set up by a Justin DeGraaf screen and a Spencer Piercefield pass, was the decisive blow during Center Grove’s game-closing 13-2 run, but it was the Trojans’ play at the other end of the court that fueled the rally.</p><p>After hitting the 3, Jackson came up with a deflection that led to a jump ball and a change of possession with 2.7 seconds to go, denying the Fighting Irish a chance to tie or win it at the end.</p><p>&quot;We wanted to take defense to another level,&quot; Jackson said, &quot;and I think we did that and that’s why we came back.&quot;</p><p>The game had been billed as a clash between Cathedral’s Armaan Franklin, a 6-foot-5 Indiana recruit, and Center Grove’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, who committed to the Hoosiers earlier Friday.</p><p>Jackson-Davis, who finished with a game-high 21 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots, had no problem sharing the spotlight with his younger sibling.</p><p>&quot;I’m happy that he stole (the show),&quot; Jackson-Davis said. &quot;As long as we get the win, everything’s fine with me.&quot;</p><p>Center Grove established Jackson-Davis early, with the 6-foot-9 big scoring 10 of his team’s 15 first-quarter points. But the Fighting Irish kept him scoreless in the second period and put together a 7-0 run just before halftime to pull ahead, 32-25.</p><p>A Piercefield 3-pointer with 10 seconds left cut the deficit to four heading into the break.</p><p>The Fighting Irish surged again at the end of the third period to build their largest lead of the night at 50-40, and the visitors still led by 10 with 5:55 to go. But a baseline drive by Jackson, who scored all seven of his points in the fourth quarter, helped start the Trojans’ slow climb back.</p><p>&quot;He never lost his composure late in the fourth quarter,&quot; Center Grove coach Zach Hahn said. &quot;He looked a little flustered early on, and he gained himself, he figured it out.&quot;</p><p>DeGraaf finished with 13 points and seven boards for Center Grove. Freshman Tayshawn Comer led Cathedral (1-1) with 17 points.</p><p>Hahn was glad to see his team pull through on a night when it didn’t have its best stuff.</p><p>&quot;Honestly, I don’t think we played very well,&quot; he said. &quot;We probably missed 10-plus layups in the third and fourth quarter, so when you think about that, a lot of room for improvement, but I’m really proud of the fight that our guys had.&quot;</p>