JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the Andrew Jackson boys basketball team looks to close their regular season, they are taking on strong competition to get ready for the district tournament as they will host Gray Collegiate Academy, the fourth-ranked team in South Carolina.
The Tigers are coming off of their fifth Gateway Conference title in the last seven years. But even with all this local success, Andrew Jackson is looking for its first state title in 30 years.
In 2022, the Tigers fell in the state title game, but a season later, they lost in the first round. So, the seniors on this team are going into the district tournament and playoffs with a little more juice.
"We're just trying to build on what we had last year. We weren't able to reach our goal last year. We're trying to build on the disappointment of last year," said Tigers' head coach James Collins. "We're not where we should be, but we're winning ball games. We're coming in here working hard to get the things corrected that we want to get corrected."
Andrew Jackson closes their regular season on Friday at 7:30 p.m. as they host Gray Collegiate Academy.
"We got three championships, and one of them is out the door," said Tigers' guard Ronald Durham. "We want the big trophy. We want state, and we are going to get state. We're going to have to work hard. I know it's going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of listening, but we're going to get it done."