Jackson’s dilemma: The ‘Josh Factor’

TACOMA — The plan was similar. The result was not.

One night after the Jackson High School boys basketball team used its three undersized post players to hound and pound Federal Way’s Cole Dickerson into an off night, they tried a similar strategy on an even bigger target, Kentwood’s 6-foot-9, 280-pound post Joshua Smith.

This time, it didn’t work.

“I think the game plan was right thing,” Jackson senior Mike Wishko said. “We just ran into the best player in the country.”

Able to locate open teammates when the Timberwolves double-teamed him and to power his way to the basket when they didn’t, Smith dominated Saturday’s Class 4A state championship game, finishing with 22 points and 16 rebounds as Kentwood squashed Jackson’s state title hopes, 67-58, in the Tacoma Dome.

The victory was especially satisfying for the UCLA-bound Smith because the Conquerors failed to reach the state tournament in each of the past two seasons.

“As soon as we lost to Decatur in a winner-to-state game (last season), I thought to myself ‘I’ve got to put my team on my back,’” Smith said. “It’s up to me.”

His back proved ample for the job.

“He is the most massive human being I’ve ever seen,” Jackson point guard Marshall Massengale said. “He’s impossible to move.”

The mountainous task of trying to contain Smith fell to the same trio who shut down Dickerson in the semifinals the night before: Wishko, senior Andy Gay and junior Austin O’Keefe. The plan had one slight variation.

“Cole we doubled directly when he got the ball,” Wishko said. “We waited until (Smith) took his first dribble.”

What caught the Jackson defenders off guard was Smith’s ability to deftly pass out of the double teams. With two defenders on Smith, there was always someone open and he always seemed to find him. Smith finished with a game-high five assists.

“We didn’t know he was that good of a passer,” Wishko said. “He’s not a ball hog at all.”

Of course, once Smith found an open player, his teammates still had to knock down the shots — and unlike the Federal Way Eagles the night before, the Conquerors did just that, shooting 53 percent from the field in the first half when they built a lead they never surrendered. Left unguarded on the perimeter, guards Alec Wilson and Skyler Genger combined to go 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the first half.

“If they double him, somebody is open and (Smith) will find him,” said Genger, who finished the night with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the 3-point line. “One-on-one he’ll take you to the rack. Either way, you can’t stop him.”

Wishko said getting caught one-on-one with Smith was almost indescribable.

“You don’t feel like it’s another human being, to be honest,” Wishko said. “It’s not anything you can ever prepare for (because) you can’t practice against it. It’s tough to put into words how strong that kid is.”

Smith, who was named the tournament MVP, shot 10-for-12 from the floor, including a monstrous dunk in the first half that nearly brought down the basket on the east end of the court.

Once Jackson got down by double digits — which happened midway through the second quarter — Smith’s immovable presence and the effect he had on the game made a Timberwolves’ comeback all but impossible.

“You have this huge ‘Josh Factor,’” Jackson coach Steve Johnson said, “and it makes your margin of error so small.”

Notes

With Saturday night’s 67-58 win over Jackson in the state championship game, the Kentwood Conquerors finished the season 20-11, the fewest wins by a state 4A champ since Garfield (16-5) in 1962.

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