Jett comes up large in the AA semis

All dog fighting rules suspended tonight for the AA semifinal matchup of Bulldogs with Plainview-Elgin-Millvile and St. Bernard's. PEM goes 2-3 zone. Sandifer with a 3. Jordair Jett gets the initial matchup on PEM star Cole Olstad. PEM also trying their 2-2-1 press. Jett to Jordan Gittens against that. Clay Olstad off a baseline triple and Gittens runs him over for a 4 point play. 6 all at 16:02. Jett with a laser to Averey Duncan for a layup then with a steal for a layup at 15:08. 10-6 St. Bernard's at the 1st TV timeout with 14:29 left in the first half.

Great inbound set that gets Jett a layup. Clay Olstad drives and no one takes the charge. 12-8 SB. Cole Olstad then scores inside on Jett to cut the lead to 2. Andy Zych off the bench for SB. He gets the hoop and harm at 13:09. 15-10 SB. Jett with a rebound, coast to coast, great pass to Duncan who bobbles it out of bounds. Cole Olstad keeping PEM in it. A triple at 12:30 makes it 15-13 SB. Jett out on the break again and finds Mike Weah for 2 FTs at 11:39. St. Bernard's just looks tougher and is outhustling PEM. Duncan not guarding either Olstad. Very strange. On blocks, a nice chant from the SB students. "Turkey, Turkey, You Got Stuffed!". 17-13 Bernard's at the 10:50 TV timeout. I get a kick out of watching the student sections boo each other when the other is shown on the big screen and then cheer when they're on the big screen.

Trent Davis with a steal off a nice job with the press and he cleans up a mess for 2. 19-13 at the 10:15 mark. Bernard's now 1-3-1. Jett a nice pass from the high post to a cutting Brian Sandifer who botches the layup. Cole Olstad from the right corner. 22-19 SB at 8:46. Olstad on the post ditches Jett at 7:43 for 2 free throws. 22-21 St. Bernard's leads. Jett bites on a upfake and Cole Olstad takes it and scores for the PEM 23-22 lead, their 1st of the night at 7:03. Duncan gets a loose ball and converts. Bernard's gives up another inside bucket and their defense leaves much to be desired right now. 25-24 PEM, TV Timeout at 6:12. PEM 4-6 from deep, 4-14 from inside the arc.

Clay Olstad with 2 FTs at 5:35 for a 27-24 PEM lead. Cole Olstad posts and scores on Duncan. 29-24 PEM leads. 6 in a row for PEM over the last 2:43. TV Timeout at 3:58. Jett drives against the 2-3 zone and floats for 2. Cole Olstad back at 2:39 after a quick breather and misses a tough shot. Bernard's 2-3 with the extended guards and Cole Olstad at the foul line. Not a good recipe for success. Cole Olstad finds Ross Grobe on a nice cut and pass. That was after PEM pulled the ball out against an SB 2-3 zone and they switched it to a 1-3-1 and the back guy never dropped down when the ball was in the opposite corner. 31-26 PEM at the half. PEM with a 16-5 run from about 10 minutes to about 5 minutes left to get the lead. Cole Olstad huge with 16 points on 5-10 shooting. Clay Olstad with 8 more points so the Olstads have 24 of the 31 points. Jett with 6 points on 3-8 shooting and 2 assists. 2 other plays where he should have earned assists. Neither team shooting well as PEM is 10-26, SB 10-28. SB 2-9 from 3 against mostly a 2-3 zone. Mike Weah leads St. Bernard's with 7 points. PEM converted 5 turnovers into 11 points.

Nice to see St. Bernard's come out and play man to start the 2nd half. Cole Olstad to Grobe again on a nice cut. Jett goaltends it away. Cole Olstad with 2 and St. Bernard's needs a timeout at 15:45. 35-28 PEM leads. Duncan from Jett to cut the lead to 5. Cole Olstad inside on Jett for 1 of 2 from the line. 36-30 PEM at the 14:35 TV timeout. St. Bernard's better hurry up and flip the switch. Cole Olstad with a nice skip out of the post and the extra pass for a Clay Olstad 3. 39-30 PEM. Jett right back with a triple on the other end. Gittens now playing the high post for SB against the zone but he's not an offensive threat. Get Jett back there. Jett high for a board and banks it home over a guy all in 1 motion. After a PEM turnover, SB can't convert. Good timeout by PEM at the 12:05 mark with a 39-35 lead.

Nice set to get Cole Olstad an inside look and he gets 2 free throws from it. Jett with a triple from the left wing. 41-38 PEM with 11:30 to play. Cole Olstad gets a wide open left corner 3 that's long . Jett drives and goes over Cole Olstad for 2 and 1. 41 all at 11:01. 11-2 SB run over 2:48. Cole Olstad with a bucket on the other end with a Trent Davis 3 as a response. 44-43 SB back in front at 10:20. TV Timeout at 10:07. Jett 4-4 with 11 points in the half so far. Cole Olstad with 7 of the 12 PEM points.

A PEM turnover and Jett is back the other way for 1 of 2 FTs. 45-43 SB at 9:54. Mike Weah with a left wing triple. Then a jumpball to Bernard's and Jett with another laser to Duncan for a layup. 50-43 SB leads at 8:18. 20-4 St. Bernard's run over 5:31. After 2 PEM FTs, Trent Davis can't convert an easy putback. Clay Olstad on the other end gets on the glass for a pair of FTs at 7:27, 50-46 St. Bernard's. Chris Conrad with a bank after a Jett miss. 50-48 SB and PEM stays man for about the 3rd straight possession. Jett drive and lefty bank at 6:40. 52-48 SB with the lead. TV timeout at 6:20 and don't change that dial.

Jett with a steal and falls down. No travel call and Shane Taylor gets 1 of 2 free throws. 53-48 St. Bernard's. Trent Davis with a sweet strip and Jett banks from the right block. 55-48 SB with 5 to play. Clay Olstad chucked on a cut by Duncan but misses the front end of the 1 and 1 with 4:45 left. Jett 1 dribble and bank from the right wing. Sick more. 57-48 SB and PEM needs a timeout with 4:11 left. 7-0 St. Bernard's run over 2:19 and Jett has 6 of the points going glass all 3 times. A very under-appreciated skill that not very many players can do these days.
PEM extending now as St. Bernard's spreads the floor vs the man defense. Clay Olstad now guarding Jett who's stationed at the foul line. Shane Taylor fouled at 2:49 on a very close over and back call. He converts both freebies. 59-49 SB leads with 2:49 to play. Cole Olstad from long-distance at 2:33 to cut the deficit to 7. Jett trapped in the corner and finds Duncan for another layup and its back to 9. 2 Andrew Larson FTs countered by a Mike Weah layin. Duncan clobbers Clay Olstad on left corner 3 with 1:55 left but he only makes 1 of 3. Trent Davis to the line with 1:36 left and misses the front end. Cole Olstad left alone at 1:25 for some unknown reason. He buries the triple with 1:27 left. 63-58 SB. Jett to the line with 1:22 left and he makes 1 of 2. Grobe with a miss at the other end. Weah to the line with 1:09 left and makes 1 of 2. 65-58 St. Bernard's leads and they take timeout.

Jett with a big block with 45 seconds left and that's the exclamation point. Bernard's crowd gets in the appropriate "Superman" chant that they've been using. Jett to the line with 41.8 left for 1 of 2 FTs. Duncan beats Jett to a loose ball and he makes 2 with 31.2 left. St. Bernard's on to the state championship game with a 68-61 win.

For PEM, sophomore Cole Olstad with a late 3 to finish with 32 points. Stud. 10-18 shooting, 5-9 from deep and 6 rebounds. Clay Olstad with 14 points and 13 rebounds for PEM. Hard to imagine them not being back here at state next year. For St. Bernard's, Jordair Jett with a HUGE 2nd half. He scores 20 points with 7 assists in the 2nd half alone. That would be 34 of the 42 2nd half points. He finishes with 26 points and 8 assists for the game. Mike Weah off the bench with another nice performance for SB off the bench with 13 points as he filled in for a cold Brian Sandifer (2-9). St. Bernard's shoots 14-21 in the 2nd half.

BTW, can you believe that David LaVaque of the Star Trib actually had the stones to ask the question who the best #11 on the floor was at the half? (that's Jett and Cole Olstad). Come on David, that's shameful. (See this link)