By Robert Wilson
Jackson Academy senior guard and Mississippi College signee Caleb Gaitor doesn’t like sitting on the bench.
The 5-foot-10 Gaitor has played more minutes than any other Raider and sometimes in a close game never comes out of the game.
So when Gaitor had to sit out because of foul trouble for about eight straight minutes in the second half, he was ready to make a difference when he got back in the game.
That would be an understatement.
Once Gaitor reentered the game, he scored 12 points in the five minutes to lead defending Overall champion Jackson Academy to a 65-49 victory over Class 5A runner-up Oak Forest, La., in the MAIS Overall Tournament boys semifinals before an estimated 1,000 at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum/Mike Jones Court in Clinton.
JA – ranked No. 3 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – improved to 25-4 and meets rival Jackson Prep – 27-6 and ranked No. 6 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – Wednesday at 8 p.m. for the Overall championship. JA and Prep have split in two meetings this season.
JA will try to repeat at Overall champions for the first time at the school since the 1994 and 1995 seasons with Coach Stan Jones.
Prep will be trying to win its first Overall since Coach Tim Wise won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
Gaitor finished a team-high 19 points (8 of 15 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3-point range), 16 points in the second half, and had 5 assists and 3 rebounds in 23 minutes.
He picked up his third foul with 3 minutes, 7 seconds to play in the second quarter and left the game. Gaitor stayed on the bench until 1:34 to play in the third quarter.
And then, Gaitor made up for lost time. He made a layup in finish the third quarter, then made a layup, a 3-pointer, another layup and another 3-pointer, the last points with 4:48 to give JA a 54-43 lead.
“When Caleb got back in the game, our offense started clicking,” said third-year JA coach Jesse Taylor said. “He has been our leader for a couple of years now. He is a strong-willed kid. His desire to win is contagious to his teammates.”
“It sucked having to sit out right out of the half because I know those are crucial moments for my team,” Gaitor said. “I feel like we just needed energy so in my time on the bench that’s what I tried my best to bring. I got defensive chants started and coached my team from bench. When I came back into the game, I knew we still needed a spark or some type of energy to keep us going and I just did what was needed. We executed the plays we called and luckily, I hit big shots when we needed them.”
In addition to Gaitor, junior guard Marcus Goodloe had 17 points, 6 steals and 5 assists, Schlyer Chambers had 13 points (5 of 7 from the field, 3 of 4 from 3-point range), and sophomore forward and Lanier High transfer Austin Richards had 10 points, a team-high seven rebounds and 3 steals.
“I was impressed how our guys moved the ball early against their zone and we were fortunate to knock down shots early,” Taylor said. “We got into some foul trouble. I was proud of how our guys fought through the adversity of the game and just stuck together.
“Oak Forest’s resume speaks for itself. They have major wins against our conference opponents. So, our guys knew going into the game that this would be a war.”
Both teams had outstanding shooting nights. JA shot 50 percent from the field (24 of 48) and 52.4 percent from 3-point range (11 of 21). Oak Forest shot 52.6 percent from the field (20 of 38) and 50 percent from 3-point range (5 of 10).
Oak Forest finished 35-4 and lost to JA for the second straight year in the Overall semifinals. The Yellowjackets defeated Class 6A opponents Jackson Prep and Madison-Ridgeland Academy twice each and Hartfield Academy and Presbyterian Christian School once each.
Senior guard Trendan Spears led Oak Forest with 16 points (7 of 12 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range) and 6-9 senior and Southeastern Louisana signee Garrett Shoemaker had 15 points (6 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range) and nine rebounds.
