MANCHESTER – Jaden Jones affectionately refers to himself as a “disruptive, little pest.”
The Fort Zumwalt East senior guard plays in the back of the Lions’ 1-3-1 zone defense and races sideline-to-sideline, challenging corner threes and bodying up bigger players in the post.
“I just run back and forth, trying to get everywhere,” Jones said. “I’m like a free safety, just trying to get my hand on the ball, box out and have stamina.”
Jones led Fort Zumwalt East to one of its best defensive performances of the season and Donovan West scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the first half as Fort Zumwalt East defeated Parkway South 50-33 Tuesday at Parkway South High.
Zumwalt East (9-9), which won its third consecutive game, held Parkway South to 23 percent from the field and surrendered the lowest point total in a game since the Lions defeated Elsberry 64-30 on Nov. 28.
“(Defense) is one thing we work on every day, and it showed tonight,” Zumwalt East coach Brandon McCann said. “We played hard, guys gave energy and effort, and it worked out in our favor.”
The Lions’ defensive gem did not begin immediately, as a back-and-forth first quarter resulted in 35 combined points between the teams. Parkway South senior Eddie Ahearn scored off a set play right off the tip, got loose on an out-of-bounds play and delivered a smooth, mid-range kiss off the glass to deliver eight of the Patriots’ 15 points in the opening quarter.
But Fort Zumwalt East matched the home team shot-for-shot, due to relentless crashing of the offensive glass. Senior Brandon Odom kept possessions alive and found Jones on the perimeter, who delivered perfect passes into the shooting pocket of West behind the three-point arc.
West connected twice from long distance in the opening minutes to kickstart his explosive first half.
“We gave up (offensive) rebounds for kick-out threes, and when you play zone, you can’t give up second chance points. It gave their best player easy looks, and the rim got even bigger for him,” Parkway South coach Ryan McCarthy said.
The rim became increasing large as West got closer to it. Leading 16-15, West closed the first quarter with a pull-up jumper and tough layup in transition to give the Lions a five-point lead.
He opened the second quarter with five points, including his third triple of the half. Zumwalt East built a 10-point cushion with West scoring 17 of the first 27 points for the Lions.
“We got out and ran,” West said. “Some of my 17 (points) were in transition from teammates finding me and trusting me. When we trust each other, that’s when we put the ball in the basket.”
Jones ran the show from there.
The senior guard, who set a school record with 11 assists in a game against Liberty earlier this month, delivered a well-timed lob to Odom, then snuck a sweet, wraparound pass behind the back of a defender and into the hands of Odom to give Zumwalt East a 37-22 lead at halftime.
Odom scored 13 points, with several of his buckets occurring after set-ups from Jones.
“We were fluid,” McCann said. “We found opportunities that we could explore, but the biggest thing was that we were patient. We didn’t rush shots, we didn’t rush plays. The more patient we are, the better it is for our team.”
That patience was evident in the second half, when Parkway South employed a box-and-one defense to shadow West and double-teamed him when he received the ball. West scored only one basket in the second half and allowed his teammates to benefit from the additional space.
“It’s happened before. A box-and-one is a good thing for our team. When they draw somebody to me, it gives everybody else a chance to score,” West said.
Led by the pestering Jones, the Lions’ defense dominated the second half. Jones raced from one corner to the other, deflecting passes and producing takeaways. At one point, he ran 25 feet, soared through the air and blocked a corner three-point attempt.
Zumwalt East held Parkway South (8-10) to one point in the fourth quarter and three made field goals for the entirety of the second half.
“I didn’t think we penetrated very well,” McCarthy said. “We had some (open) shots, but we couldn’t really find a rhythm. You have to tip your cap to them.”
Fort Zumwalt East endured a five-game losing streak midseason, including two losses to district rival Zumwalt South by an average of 31.5 points. Within the Lions’ current three-game winning streak is a 71-69 victory over Holt – a team that defeated Zumwalt South.
“You lose one, you lose another, and you kind of get down on yourself, but we’ve been together for a long time. We know each other and we stayed together,” Jones said.
He added, “We’ve had a mental resurgence. We know we can win.”