By Robert Wilson
It was simple for Jackson Academy’s Caleb Gaitor.
Said Gaitor: “I came to hoop.”
And hoop Gaitor did.
The 5-foot-10 senior guard and Mississippi College signee scored a career-high 26 points, attacking the basket often, and led defending MAIS Class 6A state champion and Overall Tournament champion JA to a 61-54 victory over rival Jackson Prep in a battle for first place in 6A between two of the top five teams in Mississippi before an estimated 1,200 at JA’s Raiderdome and Jan Sojourner Court in Northeast Jackson.
JA – ranked No. 4 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – improved to 18-4 overall and 6-1 in league play and avenged a 63-49 loss to Prep Jan. 10 at Prep. Prep – ranked No. 5 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – dropped to 20-5 overall and 5-2 in league play.
In the last meeting with Prep, Gaitor had a nightmare of a game, one of the coldest shooting performances he could ever remember, going 3 of 22 from the field.
He wasn’t going to let that happen again.
“Two weeks ago, after we lost, I came into our gym on Saturday and I was just like, ‘I’m never going to feel like this again,” said Gaitor on an interview with Bryan Eubank and Tommy Barnette on the Raider Network. “We couldn’t let Prep get started early. We had to make them tired, make them work and frustrate them. If you can’t get the ball, you can’t score. It was all about let’s be aggressive. They are big, (Prep’s 6-5 junior forward) Kevin Roberts is big. He can alter shots, but he is not just a complete shot blocker. So, we had to just get to the rim. We know we are faster than them. We had to be aggressive, win the rebound battle, and try to dominate.”
Gaitor had a career high, and he wasn’t even at full speed. He made 12 of 24 shots from the field – including eight on driving layups – and also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. And played every minute of the game.
It has been a rough couple of days,” Gaitor said. “I was sick. My voice is still gone. I’ve got phlegm in my chest. I came to hoop and it’s going to be a great memory.”
It was definitely a different memory for Gaitor and the rest of the Raiders from the first meeting. Prep senior guard Ben Segrest came out red hot, hitting three 3-pointers in the first two and half minutes and Roberts and 6-2 senior guard keep Prep rolling for the win. Segrest had 17 points, and Roberts and Maddux both had double doubles (Roberts 12 points and 10 rebounds and Maddux 11 points and 10 rebounds). Prep had not beaten JA since a 31-24 win in the 6A state tournament semifinals two years ago. Also, Prep broke JA’s 31-game winning streak against MAIS competition.
JA was the team Tuesday that got rolling early. Prep led 4-2 early in the game and that was the only lead for the Patriots the entire game. JA led 18-13 after one quarter, 31-22 at halftime, and 44-38 after three quarters.
Prep, on the strength of a sizzling 3-point show by sophomore Cray Luckett, rallied to close to a 16-point gap, in the third quarter. Luckett – the son of former two-time Overall champion and Prep guard Cratin Luckett, who was a part of a 67-game winning streak – hit four 3-pointers in a two-minute span late in the third quarter. Luckett finished with 12 points off the bench, two short of his career high.
Despite JA not scoring for the last four minutes of the third quarter, Prep could never catch up.
In addition to Gaitor, JA junior guard Marcus Goodloe had 21 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
“We were hoping we wouldn’t shoot the ball 20 percent like we did the first time we met these guys,” third-year JA coach Jesse Taylor said. “Odds are, that we weren’t. Gaitor and Goodloe stepped up really big, putting the ball in the hole for us tonight. Having that from the student body (big fan support) and seeing your peers up there cheering and wanting you to win just as bad as you want to win, it’s what high school sports is all about. We know we can shoot 3s, but we have got to get to the rim. That 3-ball will be there, but we’ve been harping on since that first loss, rebounding and getting to the rim. You’ve been seeing the fruit of the labor. It has really clicked with Gaitor about how aggressive he needs to be towards the basket. We won the rebound battle 38 to 21. Defense wins games, and rebounding win championships. Our saying right now is rings don’t go on smooth fingers. It’s the trenches that win it.”
“They were the more physical team tonight,” said second-year Prep coach Zach Allison, who was an assistant for three seasons before taking the head coaching job at Heritage Academy and coming back to Prep after head coach Tim Wise went home to Memphis. “They are really talented and well coached team. We knew it would take a lot to beat them at their place. Cray gave us a huge spark tonight in the second half. Credit to him for stepping in and being ready to go.”
Roberts – one of the top 10 baseball players in the country in the Class of 2026 and helped Prep to its seventh consecutive state championship last season – led Prep with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Maddux had 11 points. Segrest had an off shooting night and scored only 6 points.
