Kennedale's own Aundre Jackson headed to Sweet 16 with his Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Keep dancing, Aundre.

Keep on dancing.

Kennedale's own Aundre Jackson is headed to the Sweet 16 along with his 11-seeded Loyola Chicago Ramblers after they upset the No. 3 seed Tennessee Vols 63-62 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center on Saturday.

Jackson followed a 12-point performance in LUC's buzzer-beating victory over Miami on Thursday with a game-high 16 points in this one.

"It means our season is not over," Jackson said. "We haven't reached a finish line. We haven't gotten to where we want to get."

It's been anything but an ordinary route to this point for Jackson, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

He was a star at Kennedale, where he averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds and was a two-time district offensive player of the year. But his body type didn't draw the type of interest from top-level college programs that he had hoped.

"When I was at Kennedale I was a 6-foot-5 post man, kind of chubby. I was 235, 240 pounds," Jackson said, moving his arms out wide to insinuate his high school girth. "I'm 218 now. No one wanted to take a chance on me. So I went the JUCO route."

So he enrolled at McLennan Community College in Waco and quickly took over, averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game as a sophomore while shooting just under 65 percent from the floor, a mark that ranked fourth in the country.

Loyola Chicago head coach Porter Moser saw the potential in Jackson, knowing his heart and motor more than made up for his frame. Jackson rewarded his coach's faith in him by being named the 2016-17 Missouri Valley Sixth Man of the Year.

Jackson's leadership and poise came into play against Tennessee on Saturday. He didn't play in the final minutes against Miami, but he played the majority of the second half against the Vols.

Jackson actually had an entry pass into the post go off his hands with 35 seconds left and LUC up 61-59. He then fouled Tennessee' Grant Williams on the ensuing possession after Williams made a jump hook with 20.1 seconds left to tie the game. Williams made the free throw to give the Vols a 62-61 lead.

Jackson then nearly had the ball go off his hands as LUC settled into the half court. The play was so close it had to be reviewed.

The call was confirmed, LUC ball, which then set up another storybook finish for the Ramblers, who got a friendly bounce from Clayton Custer jumper with 3.9 seconds left to win in thrilling fashion for the second game in a row.

"Only thing i can say is 'Glory to God' for that one," Custer said. "The basketball gods helped that one go in."

This story was originally published March 17, 2018 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Kennedale's own Aundre Jackson headed to Sweet 16 with his Loyola Chicago Ramblers."