Bring on Jacksonville Raines. That’s what the coaches and players of Orlando Jones were saying as they came from behind to defeat Jacksonville Jackson 66-58 in the regional semifinal game.

Jones trailed most of the game as the Jackson Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead. “Our game plan was to try to jump on them early and slow the game down. We didn’t want to get into a running game with them.” Coach Foy said.

That strategy for the most part worked as Jackson had a 20-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and went into halftime leading the game 38-27

The second half saw a reversal from the first as Jones went on an 8-0 run to start the 3rd quarter. Jones, was led by Junior Guard Calvin Liptrot, who scored five points in the period and finished with a game high 25 points in the game.

The turning point in the game came when Jackson Guard Cortez Riley picked up his fourth foul of the game with just under 20 seconds gone in the third quarter. With Riley out, Jones picked up its defensive intensity causing Jacksonville Jackson to commit 12 turnovers in the period and outscore Jackson 17-8.

Jones took its first lead of the game 53-52, on a Liptrot free throw with 3:38 seconds remaining in the contest. From there, the Tigers never trailed as they finished the game on a 13 to 6 run.

“Calvin Liptrot and Jarvis Williams carried us tonight. Both of them picked up their intensity in the second half to lead us to the victory.” Coach Howard said.

For Jacksonville Jackson, their disappointing season comes to an end. Jackson finished the season at 13-14, a long cry from the team that started out as the number two team in the state.

With the Jones victory and the Jacksonville Raines victory, class 4A has its game of the year in the regional finals. Both teams are ranked number one in the state and both team features outstanding players. Raines is the defending state champions and will be attempting to win their third consecutive state title.

“All year long we wanted the match up against Jacksonville Raines. On Saturday, we will decide who is the true number one team in the state.” Coach Howard said.

Whoever wins that game will clearly be the favorite for the 4A crown. Jones has the home court advantage and at least for tonight, it was just what they needed.