AUBURN

It took a while for the fireworks to begin on Saturday, but the Jackson girls basketball team ended 2006 with a bang.

No. 5 Jackson beat Lincoln, ranked third in the WashingtonPreps.com Class 4A preseason poll, 47-40 on Dec. 30 to win the “Navy Division” of the Riverside Invitational tournament at Auburn Riverside High School. The victory came one day after the Timberwolves stunned Auburn Riverside (third-ranked in 3A) on Sara O’Neal’s game-winning shot.

No last-moment heroics were necessary on Saturday. Instead, the heroics were spread out over the entire second half. The Timberwolves connected on seven 3-point shots, including five while outscoring the Abes 19-8 in the third quarter.

Jackson improved to 7-1 and believes it opened some eyes over the weekend.

“This says a lot about Jackson,” said Timberwolves point guard Kristi Kingma, who was named tournament MVP. “We may not be the tallest or the most athletic team, but we sure play together and compete every game.”

Kingma scored only one point in the first half, but began a 3-point flurry in the second. With her team leading 24-23, Kingma hit a pair of 3s sandwiched around two Lincoln lay-ups.

Kingma followed with another 3, and then handed the reigns over to Ashly Bruns. Bruns finished a 9-0 run with two 3s, and then hit her third of the quarter to give Jackson a 39-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Bruns scored nine of her 14 points in the third period.

Jackson head coach Jeannie Thompson said the team’s legs were a bit tired after the Auburn Riverside confrontation a night earlier. During halftime, the coaches reminded the girls to use their legs.

“I was a little worried at first because our legs were tired,” said Thompson, whose team played in the state tournament last season. “But at the same time, our kids are excellent shooters. Sooner or later, we were going to knock them down.”

Thompson also made a defensive switch that slowed the Abes. Standout guard Alex Montgomery, who has committed to play at Georgia Tech, scored 14 points in the first half on an array of athletic drives to the hoop. Kingma took over that hefty defensive responsibility in the second half and Montgomery managed just seven points. The 6-foot-1 speedster finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Lincoln coach Kevin Strozier, whose team dropped to 7-3 was more concerned about his own defense than the one his team faced.

“We did a great job on the defensive end in the first,” Strozier said. “In the second half we just didn’t want to do it anymore.”

Montgomery concurred.

“We played like second graders,” she said.

Montgomery made six of eight free throws in the first period. She scored 10 of Lincoln’s 11 points in the quarter for an 11-8 edge. She made four of Lincoln’s five first-half field goals and led all scorers at the break with 14 points.

The first half featured good defense and sloppy offense from both teams. Lincoln led 21-20 at the half despite 12 turnovers and 5-for-24 shooting. Jackson missed 16 of its 24 shots in the half and committed 16 turnovers. The Timberwolves turned the ball over just seven times in the second half — including only one in the decisive third quarter.

Jackson’s Brittany Eskridge contributed nine points and 11 rebounds. Front court mate Michelle Addington grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with eight points. Deana Trammell scored 12 for Lincoln.

O’Neal hits game-winner to cap Jackson comeback

Jackson’s virtually unstoppable Kristi Kingma made all six of the 3-point shots she attempted.

Lucky No. 7 for the Timberwolves went to her teammate Sara O’Neal.

O’Neal drilled a 3-pointer from deep in the right corner as time expired to cap Jackson’s stirring comeback from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit and deliver a thrilling 68-66 victory over tournament host Auburn Riverside Dec. 29.

Trailing 66-65 with 6.1 seconds remaining, Jackson in-bounded the ball to Ashly Bruns.

Bruns drove across mid-court and passed to O’Neal deep in the right corner.

“Sara pump-faked with two seconds left. The defender went by and she let the shot go,” Jackson coach Jeannie Thompson said. “The buzzer sounded as the ball went through the net.”

Kingma scored 31 points and had four assists to otherwise lead Jackson.

“They were double-teaming Kristi all night,” Thompson said. “She was still able to put the team up on her shoulders.”

Jackson’s Brittany Eskridge scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Jackson and Ashley Todd contributed 12 points.

O’Neal’s 3-pointer brought a stunning end to a marquee match-up that lived up to its billing.

Jackson was ranked No. 5 in Class 4A in the WashingtonPreps.com preseason poll.

Auburn-Riverside was ranked No. 3 in Class 3A in the same poll.

“It was wonderful,” Thompson said. “We were definitely underdogs coming in.”

Aaron Coe writes for The Herald in Everett.

Aaron Coe writes for The Herald in Everett.