Hinsdale South’s Terri Jackson missed all four of her 3-point attempts in the first half of the Hornets’ game against Downers Grove North on Friday, Jan. 15.
That did not stop the senior guard from shooting, though, as she opened the second half with a 3-pointer off an assist from Tatyana Presley.
Jackson collected 10 of her 12 points in the second half, but the Hornets trailed the whole game and dropped a 45-37 West Suburban crossover decision in Downers Grove.
“(In the) second half I took off very good, but in the first half I was really off, I had stuff on my mind,” Jackson said. ” I had to shake it off, I had to help my team out. My teammates (were) helping me out, they told me to keep shooting and I would make my shots.”
Jackson’s first 3-pointer was set up by a steal she made on the opening possession of the third quarter, which came as no surprise to Hinsdale South coach Brett Love.
“She has been really good on defense, grabbing rebounds and getting her hands on balls,” Love said. “The more aggressive she is, the better her shot is.”
The 5-foot-4 Jackson grabbed five rebounds and had three steals against the Trojans (12-5).
“Defense helps me a lot, I love defense,” Jackson said. “On offense, I just needed to pick it up more.
“I just wanted to be good on defense, rebound and box out. It is not all about scoring. It is all about defense to me.”
Jackson has been a solid contributor all season for the Hornets (14-6).
“She has really been a key player,” Love said. “She really goes hard in practice. She really competes against Syd (teammate Sydney Kopp). It is a good, friendly competition in practice.
“She has knocked down big shots throughout the season. Tonight she showed that, knocking down shots when we could not get Syd the ball.”
Can’t stop Kopp
Kopp, who leads Hinsdale South with 25.1 points per game, again ran into a defensive strategy designed to limit her, but still managed 18 points.
“Sydney is a great player; she is having a great season,” Downers North coach Stephen Bolt said. “I think the world of that kid, because I have seen her throughout the last couple of years. I think Lauren (Porcelli) and Jaida (Green) did a great job, giving her different looks, and really making her work to get shots off.”
Patrick Kelly is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.