BERLIN CENTER — After trailing for a large part of the contest, the Jackson-Milton Blue Jays showed resilience, battling back to edge out their rivals, Western Reserve, 65-61 on Friday night.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Jackson-Milton coach Stephen Procopio said. “We were behind most of the game. The kids kept fighting. They stuck with it. We were able to pull it out in the fourth quarter.”

The Blue Devils took an early lead with Nick Martin canning a 3-pointer to put Reserve up top 4-0. The teams continued to fight back and forth, battling for chances. By the time the dust settled after the first quarter, Jackson-Milton trailed 15-12.

David Ashburn got hot in the second quarter for the Devils. He hit a pair of 3’s with left-handed touch. Grope had a steal and a layup.

Blue Jays sophomore Aaren Romigh drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game, 23-23. Jackson-Milton forward A.J. Bouch was fouled as time expired in the first half. He hit 1-of-2 free-throws, but strong play from Noah Klasic and David Altiere had the Devils up 34-29 at halftime.

The Blue Jays chipped away at the Reserve advantage in the third. Three-pointers from Nicholas McGinnis, and Mason Robison helped the Jays take the lead. Each team had multiple turnovers in the closing seconds of the quarter, but Gavin Sahli’s layup gave Jackson-Milton a 49-46 lead going to the fourth.

Martin had a block and a layup to start the fourth. The Blue Jays got off to a slow start in the final frame. Gordon put the Devils back on top. Altiere made one from behind the arc, and Reserve was up 57-53. McGinnis kept the Jays in it at the free-throw line.

After a steal by Grope, Romigh made another big 3-pointer to put the Jays ahead. Robison, who scored a game-high 19 points, went 5-of-6 at the foul line in the final minute to help seal the victory for Jackson-Milton.

“In the first three quarters, we really struggled to get our offense going,” Robison said. “At the end of the game, our free throws really pulled it out for us. Romigh hit some big 3’s to help us pull ahead. We brought it together in the fourth quarter to bring the win home.”

The last three contests in this rivalry have all been decided by less than 10 points.

“There was great energy in the gym,” Western Reserve coach Patsy Daltorio said. “Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end. We want to compete for a league title and be playing our best basketball at the end of the season.”

Right now, the league leader is Springfield, which has gotten the best of both the Blue Devils and Jackson-Milton. Last season’s winner, Waterloo, is sidelined due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The two rivals are slated to face each other again in early February. After the second meeting each season, the schools exchange a trophy to the winning school. Jackson-Milton has the trophy in its case right now and is hoping it doesn’t have to take it out again anytime soon.

“We’ve been on the losing end of this rivalry for a few years now,” Procopio said. ” Last year, we were able to get the trophy. This year, our goal is to go 2-0 against them.”