Second-Half Surge Sends Unbeaten Jacksonville Past Pleasant Grove For Tatum Holiday Hoops Showcase Title

TATUM -- Down by one at halftime, Jacksonville coach Brent Kelley couldn't find the intensity he's used to seeing from his Indians.

In the second half, he found it.

Fueled by a 16-2 third quarter run, the No. 21 Jacksonville Indians (18-0) defeated the Pleasant Grove Hawks, 51-40, to capture the 2012 Tatum Holiday Hoops Showcase gold bracket championship on Saturday at Eagle Coliseum.

Dadrian Franklin garnered MVP honors with a double-double, 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Jacksonville's scoring was very balanced. Kedarrius Buckingham and Raybon Riden had 10 points apiece, while Londedric Taylor added nine and Daytron Thompson had seven.

Jacksonville held a significant rebounding edge, outrebounding Pleasant Grove, 37-18.

Colorado-signee Dustin Thomas led the Hawks with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

"I challenged the kids at halftime," Kelley said. "I told the kids at times it looked like Pleasant Grove wanted it more. I told them we've had a great run lately, we're undefeated, so let's go finish these guys off. We responded and my kids deserve the credit. We made a few adjustments on our press, and (Pleasant Grove) hit us in the mouth in the second quarter. So I'm pleased with the way we responded."

Jacksonville opened the third when Thompson drove to the bucket and got the and-1. He sank the free throw, and that was followed by a Taylor offensive board and putback. When Franklin drained a three-pointer off a Taylor dish, the Indians went up, 35-28.

Taylor hit a jumper, then Buckingham drew a charge on Pleasant Grove (10-5) guard Kevin Lybrand. By that time, Jacksonville went up 41-28, its largest lead of the game, and never looked back.

Pleasant Grove made a run early in the fourth. Thomas sank a mid-range jumper, then was hammered going to the rack. His two free throws brought the Hawks within six, 41-35. But Thompson got the ball on the block and muscled in a bucket that made it 43-35, and Pleasant Grove couldn't get closer.

Jacksonville opened the game on a 5-0 run, thanks to a Franklin three-pointer and jump shot. Thomas kept the Hawks in it though, when he nailed a runner in the lane and drew the foul. Lybrand scored the next six for Pleasant Grove, and the Hawks led 12-10 after one.

Pleasant Grove started the second with a 7-0 run of its own, aided by a no-look pass from Thomas to Peter Garveil in transition. Jacksonville's Thompson grabbed a steal after sneaking behind Thomas and going coast to coast for the lay-in. A Franklin jumper at the 3:27 mark gave the Indians a 20-19 advantage.

When Pleasant Grove's Ronnie Griffin banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer, the Hawks carried a 26-25 lead into halftime.