Madison Jackson
Madison Jackson's Perseverance Boosts Bobcats by Bengals
2/20/2021 6:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sophomore sets career highs with 20 points, 7 rebounds
BOZEMAN, Montana – With four seconds remaining in regulation play of the best game in her Bobcat career so far, sophomore Madison Jackson entered her team's huddle with one thought.
"Never give up," she thought to herself. Montana State trailed league-leading Idaho State 72-69 as the Bobcats readied for what would be a wild finish. "That's exactly what went through my mind. There's always that chance that you can come back."
That's what the Bobcats did. Tori Martell hit a long three-pointer to send the game to overtime, and the Bobcats fought their way to an 88-80 win. From the late time out just before the game-tying triple on, Martell scored 12 of the Bobcats' 19 points.
But Jackson's contributions early, when the Bengals led 17-4 and threatened to build a lead that couldn't be overcome, shine just as brightly. When she hit a three-pointer midway through the second quarter to tie the game at 22, Jackson had scored seven points, nearly one-third of the team's total. She finished with a career-high 20 points, and snared a career-high seven rebounds.
"I'm on cloud nine right now, and since we got the W, my goodness," she beamed after the win. "I've been waiting for a game like this for a very long time. It feels so good, and I feel like God really blessed me on this game."
Saturday's brilliant performance capped a long journey through the 2020-21 season for Jackson. A starter in the season's first three games, she then missed the next nine. "(Illness) really kicked my butt," she said Saturday, and returning to basketball shape was anything but easy. Her minutes increased from 15 in the two combined games against NAU to nearly 12 in each of this weekend's contests.
Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford understands the struggles Jackson has faced getting to the point where she could play a leading role in lifting her team to victory on Saturday. "As far as what that kid can control, she's just champing at the bit to get back on the horse," Binford said. "That's how she's wired, that's how hard she competes."
Binford said that even in reduced minutes, Jackson's presence has remained valuable. "There was that turning point where she started to feel a little bit better and we gradually got her more minutes, but her energy is always contagious. The kid elevates practice every day, she's so selfless, such a great teammate, and she's always like that. I've never had a day when her aura didn't just light up the room."
Jackson is one of three players from Idaho on the Montana State roster, and she was part of a freshman class one season ago that contributed to a magical campaign. The Bobcats won the Big Sky regular season crown in dominant fashion, finishing 19-1, and were set to play for the league tournament title when the Covid-19 pandemic forced an premature conclusion to the season.
Jackson played in 27 games a season ago, averaging 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds and providing energy and a defensive presence throughout. While Darian White, the 2019-20 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, and league MVP Fallyn Frieje, also a first-year Bobcat, garnered considerable attention, Binford is quick to remind about the role Jackson played.
"When you look back to last year's team, we had so many people back and we added in some freshmen and Fallyn, and Jack was a part of that," Binford said. While Jackson's game stats from a year ago may not be eye-popping, Binford said her contribution was felt from the tam's earliest moments together. "Immediately our practices got twice as competitive because of how hard those kind of kids compete on a daily basis," Binford said. "It just lifts everyone else to go that much harder."
Jackson said the competitive fire that burns in each Bobcat combines to make the team a force. "I think that we hold each other very accountable," she said. "We don't like to lose. There is not one person on our team that handles losing very well, and we really give it everything that we have, each (player) that goes out on the court. We have a lot of heart."
Binford was thrilled that Jackson earned herself a moment in the spotlight on Saturday. "She is one of the most selfless kids you'll ever meet and she's all about her teammates," Binford said. "It was nice to see her rewarded with her performance today. She's a fantastic teammate, doing whatever you need her to do. She had a great day today, but I feel like every day she has a great day because she never has a day where she doesn't put it all out there on the floor."
Jackson and the Bobcats host Idaho next weekend in a series that will help determine Big Sky Tournament seeding and the league's regular season title. Idaho (13-3 in Big Sky play) and Montana State (11-3) enter next weekend's action one game behind Idaho State (12-2) in the loss column. Everyone involved knows catching the Bengals remains a tall task, but Jackson carries one thought in her heart.
Never give up.
#GoCatsGo
"Never give up," she thought to herself. Montana State trailed league-leading Idaho State 72-69 as the Bobcats readied for what would be a wild finish. "That's exactly what went through my mind. There's always that chance that you can come back."
That's what the Bobcats did. Tori Martell hit a long three-pointer to send the game to overtime, and the Bobcats fought their way to an 88-80 win. From the late time out just before the game-tying triple on, Martell scored 12 of the Bobcats' 19 points.
But Jackson's contributions early, when the Bengals led 17-4 and threatened to build a lead that couldn't be overcome, shine just as brightly. When she hit a three-pointer midway through the second quarter to tie the game at 22, Jackson had scored seven points, nearly one-third of the team's total. She finished with a career-high 20 points, and snared a career-high seven rebounds.
"I'm on cloud nine right now, and since we got the W, my goodness," she beamed after the win. "I've been waiting for a game like this for a very long time. It feels so good, and I feel like God really blessed me on this game."
Saturday's brilliant performance capped a long journey through the 2020-21 season for Jackson. A starter in the season's first three games, she then missed the next nine. "(Illness) really kicked my butt," she said Saturday, and returning to basketball shape was anything but easy. Her minutes increased from 15 in the two combined games against NAU to nearly 12 in each of this weekend's contests.
Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford understands the struggles Jackson has faced getting to the point where she could play a leading role in lifting her team to victory on Saturday. "As far as what that kid can control, she's just champing at the bit to get back on the horse," Binford said. "That's how she's wired, that's how hard she competes."
Binford said that even in reduced minutes, Jackson's presence has remained valuable. "There was that turning point where she started to feel a little bit better and we gradually got her more minutes, but her energy is always contagious. The kid elevates practice every day, she's so selfless, such a great teammate, and she's always like that. I've never had a day when her aura didn't just light up the room."
Jackson is one of three players from Idaho on the Montana State roster, and she was part of a freshman class one season ago that contributed to a magical campaign. The Bobcats won the Big Sky regular season crown in dominant fashion, finishing 19-1, and were set to play for the league tournament title when the Covid-19 pandemic forced an premature conclusion to the season.
Jackson played in 27 games a season ago, averaging 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds and providing energy and a defensive presence throughout. While Darian White, the 2019-20 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, and league MVP Fallyn Frieje, also a first-year Bobcat, garnered considerable attention, Binford is quick to remind about the role Jackson played.
"When you look back to last year's team, we had so many people back and we added in some freshmen and Fallyn, and Jack was a part of that," Binford said. While Jackson's game stats from a year ago may not be eye-popping, Binford said her contribution was felt from the tam's earliest moments together. "Immediately our practices got twice as competitive because of how hard those kind of kids compete on a daily basis," Binford said. "It just lifts everyone else to go that much harder."
Jackson said the competitive fire that burns in each Bobcat combines to make the team a force. "I think that we hold each other very accountable," she said. "We don't like to lose. There is not one person on our team that handles losing very well, and we really give it everything that we have, each (player) that goes out on the court. We have a lot of heart."
Binford was thrilled that Jackson earned herself a moment in the spotlight on Saturday. "She is one of the most selfless kids you'll ever meet and she's all about her teammates," Binford said. "It was nice to see her rewarded with her performance today. She's a fantastic teammate, doing whatever you need her to do. She had a great day today, but I feel like every day she has a great day because she never has a day where she doesn't put it all out there on the floor."
Jackson and the Bobcats host Idaho next weekend in a series that will help determine Big Sky Tournament seeding and the league's regular season title. Idaho (13-3 in Big Sky play) and Montana State (11-3) enter next weekend's action one game behind Idaho State (12-2) in the loss column. Everyone involved knows catching the Bengals remains a tall task, but Jackson carries one thought in her heart.
Never give up.
#GoCatsGo
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