PEORIA — Everyone already knows Peoria High all-staters Aaliyah Guyton and Denali Craig-Edwards.

So when Allannah Jackson made big shot after big shot on the season’s biggest stage thus far, it may have come as a surprise. But not to Peoria High coach Meechie Edwards.

“Those key plays,” Edwards said. “Those key rebounds. … That’s just unbelievable. That’s all super-duper heart.”

'Underestimating me'

Jackson’s key second-half buckets helped lift No. 3 Peoria High to a 35-29 victory over eighth-ranked Washington at the Class 3A Richwoods Sectional championship. The Lions (27-3) are Elite Eight-bound for the first time since 2001.

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And a lot of thanks goes to the 5-foot-8 junior guard. Her rebound putback followed by two layups off dishes from Guyton gave Peoria High a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

“I feel like I was able to get open,” said Jackson, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds, “because (Washington was) underestimating me. They weren’t really looking for me. They were more keyed up on other players, so it’s easier for me to get open and make buckets.”

All season, Jackson hasn’t been the first or second scoring option. Heck, she hasn’t even been the third or fourth. That hasn’t slowed Jackson’s confidence in her ability one bit.

“They make me better every day,” Jackson said of playing with Guyton and Craig-Edwards, “and they teach stuff I don’t know. If college coaches come to look at them, they might catch me out there.”

Doing it with defense

Not only did Jackson stand out on offense, but she also shined brightly on the defensive end. Her assignment? Guarding Washington’s 6-foot all-stater Claire McDougall.

The Bradley signee was limited to two points on five shot attempts.

“That was ‘Action’ Jackson,” Edwards said. “… She took it upon herself to do that.”

“She’s very long and athletic,” Edwards added, “so it was very hard to stay in front and guard her. You just have to keep an eye on her — make sure she doesn’t get around you.”

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McDougall, though, made sure No. 8 Washington (26-5) didn’t go down without a fight. She found her freshman sister, Becca McDougall, for a layup at the 4:38 mark, giving the Panthers a 29-28 lead.

It would be the last basket Washington would score as Peoria High ended the game on a seven-point run.

“They speed everybody up,” Washington coach Kim Barth said. “We had a lot of silly turnovers (17) that we normally don’t have because of that. We didn’t hit shots (12-for-32) that we normally make.

“That’s a credit to their defense.”

'Our Dennis Rodman'

Speaking of D, the Panthers clamped down big time in the second quarter, holding Peoria High to just two points on a pair of Guyton free throws. In that frame, Addie Kimler (game-high 10 points), Becca McDougall and Carly Vaughn provided the scoring.

This put Washington up 17-14 heading into halftime.

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Peoria High went a stretch of 13 minutes, 6 seconds from the first to the third quarter without a field goal. Niasha Rutherford broke that drought with a drive, then Danielle Ruffin hit a corner 3 about three minutes after halftime.

Jackson then stepped in for her late-game heroics.

“She’s our Dennis Rodman,” Guyton said. “She plays hard. She plays with heart. We understand that the attention that was going to come to our top scorers.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: This player's 'super-duper heart' put Peoria High one step closer to state