Madison headed to state with win over Wagner

UTSA CONVOCATION CENTER -- Ask any good basketball fan and he'll tell you that its a game of momentum. Madison senior Roshun Jackson created the energy his Mavericks were lacking in one fell swoop.

Held scoreless until midway through the third quarter, Jackson?s thunderous dunk that sparked the rest of the Mavericks and helped him and Madison to its second-straight Region IV-5A championship. Jackson finished with a team high 16 points to lead Madison to a 62-59 victory over Wagner in front of approximately 1000 fans at  the UTSA Convocation Center.

?That dunk was the turning point,? Jackson said. ?That?s what got us to state. It broke the ice for me. After that, we started playing like Madison. After that, it was over" he told the San Antonio Express News. Jackson, spent most of the second quarter on the bench in foul trouble.  It wasn't until midway through the 3rd period that he was able to have any impact on the game. His electrifying dunk triggered a 19-3 Madison run to end the third quarter, and Jackson accounted for 12 of those points.

In just their 2nd year of varsity competition the Wagner Thunderbirds have nothing to hang their heads about. Early on it looked as if they were a team of destiny as Aaron Thomas hit a buzzer beater at the end of the 1st Quarter to put Wagner on top 20-11.

After receiving the regional championship trophy, Madison Senior Charlie Harper placed it on the floor at midcourt. The team formed a circle around the trophy and said the Lord?s Prayer in one of many tributes the Mavericks had for former Madison football and basketball player David Edwards.

Edwards, who would have turned 21 today, died Wednesday from complications related to a paralyzing injury in a 2003 game.

Madison players all came out with Edwards? No. 5 stitched on their jerseys Friday. and coaches pinned his number on their suits. Madison?s cheering section followed suit with No. 5 on their clothes Saturday.

It was a tribute to the family atmosphere that makes good teams like Madison great. Now they sit just 2 games away from the ultimate prize, and they'll be back in action next Friday in Austin against an opponent yet to be determined.

Date of Article: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:59 pm