The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser and the Timu Foundation.
It was about as smooth a start to Moore League play as a Jordan basketball fan could’ve asked for. The Panthers played classic J-Town basketball on the road at Lakewood, building a 20-point lead in the second quarter en route to an 85–71 victory. It also marked the program’s first win at Tim Sweeney Gym in the five-year Chris Francis era.
“I’ll take it. Moore League wins are hard to come by,” said Francis. “We came to play and we played Jordan basketball. We shared the ball, we got good traps, and we were anticipating instead of gambling. We stayed disciplined defensively and offensively we moved the ball and made shots.”
It was a true team effort for Jordan on Friday night, led by the junior trio of Malachi Burdette, Aaron Chiles, and Samajay Jackson. Chiles finished with a game-high 27 points, while Burdette controlled the offense with 17. Jackson, Jordan’s quarterback this year, was a force in the paint and added 15 points.
Lakewood was led by junior Diquin Minor, who opened the game with five straight points as part of his 18-point night. Jordan settled after Minor’s opening points, eventually going on a 25-4 run through the first half.
The Panthers set the tone defensively during that stretch, forcing turnovers and turning steals into points, including a steal-and-score from Burdette. Jordan built a lead as large as 22 points before heading into the break, taking a 54–32 advantage into halftime.
“It was just us listening to our coach,” Burdette said after the game. “Playing hard defense, playing physical, and just keeping the same pace as we always keep. We take a lot of pride in that defense. We have a hard nose coach and he’s very hard on us, and we just had to get the job done.”
Burdette did a good job facilitating the Panthers, who led by as much as 28 points behind an efficient shooting night from the field and the free-throw line. Jordan outshot Lakewood at the stripe, attempting 31 free throws to the Lancers’ 13, and also knocked down shots from deep, including three 3-pointers from Amir Bowser.
“It helps with the momentum,” he said. “I just have to get the team going. I gotta Samajay going, I gotta get Aaron going, I gotta get my shooter Amir going. I’m on the floor to get everyone else going. I’ll get mine sooner or later.”
Lakewood had two other players finish in double figures alongside Minor, with Chase McClain scoring 11 points and Sam Smith adding 10. The Lancers will look ahead to their matchup against Cabrillo.
Jordan will continue Moore League play at Millikan as the Panthers look to build on Friday night’s win.
“It’s great to see the progression that we’re headed to our goal,” Francis said. “We just have to have a short memory and get ready for Millikan. They’ve been playing some big time teams so we have to go in with a day or practice, put the game plan in and execute.”
