Beloit, OH- The Alliance Aviators and West Branch Warriors entered Friday night looking to get the taste of a Tuesday night loss out of their mouths. The Aviators fell to the Carrollton Warriors, relinquishing their hold on the pole position of the Eastern Buckeye Conference while the Warriors dropped a home contest to the Marlington Dukes.
Alliance Junior Guard J.R. Jackson entered the evening on the cusp of 1,000 career points, a benchmark of stardom in the high school hoops ranks. It didn't take long for Jackson to reach that mark, as he scored 7 in the opening frame, with his 2 pointer to give him 7 being the one to reach quadruple figures on his illustrious career.
The Aviators led 11-6 after the first 8 minutes of play. West Branch's Cooper Anderson led the scoring charge in the 2nd quarter with 6 as the Warriors shrunk the gap by 1 before halftime as they entered the break trailing 23-17.
The 6-point advantage held after 3 quarters of play before the host Warriors came out in the 4th with a spurt that saw them momentarily take a one-point advantage 37-36. The lead was short lived as Alliance's Braylen Sears nailed a triple on the ensuing possession to regain the lead. The Aviators would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way, ultimately coming out victorious by a score of 51-45.
On the night, it was the man of the hour JR Jackson leading the Aviators with 17. Joining him in double digits was Sam Hays who chipped in 12. The Warriors were paced by Cooper Anderson who ended the night with 17. The victory moves the Aviators to 10-5 on the season, while the loss drops the Warriors to 6-10. The Warriors travel to Crestwood on Tuesday night while the Aviators next game is next Friday when they welcome the Minerva Lions to Harry Fails Gymnasium.
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