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Jacobs comes back with win

After dropping a disheartening 68-48 decision to Lakes Wednesday night, veteran Jacobs boys basketball coach Jim Hinkle wasn’t sure how his team would respond Thursday night against Hope Academy.

Hinkle didn’t need to worry.

Utilizing a full-court press which forced 22 Hope turnovers, and receiving 23 points from Ryan Billings, Jacobs ended pool play of the Jacobs Holiday Classic with a 65-51 win over the visiting Eagles in Algonquin.

“After last night’s tough loss, I was pleased with the way the kids bounced back and came out with a lot of intensity especially on the defensive end,” said Hinkle. “We turned defense into offense and got easy shots. We were very active on the defensive end and created a lot of easy opportunities on the offensive end.”

Converting 8 Hope turnovers into layup baskets, Jacobs (5-6) took control of the game in the second quarter. Nursing a 14-8 lead after 1 quarter, the Golden Eagles scored the first 11 points of the second quarter. With Billings scoring 5 points on a pair of layups along with a 3-pointer from reserve Ryan Ross, Jacobs took a 25-8 lead with 4:55 left in the first half. Hope didn’t score in the quarter until Ricky Calvin canned a 5-footer in the lane to make the score 25-10 halfway through the quarter.

Leading 32-18 at halftime, Jacobs ensured there wouldn’t be a Hope comeback in the second half by starting the third quarter on a 10-4 run. Billings scored 8 points on 4 layups off turnovers and Will Schwerdtman nailed an 8-footer in the lane as the Golden Eagles widened the lead to 20, 42-22, with 5:06 left in the quarter.

Jacobs’ biggest lead of the game was 21, 60-39, with 2:45 left on a driving layup by Julian Lee.

Schwerdtman backed Billings with 9 points, 3 assists and 6 rebounds. He scored 6 points in the third quarter.

“We were determined to bounce back after last night,” said Billings. “We really brought intensity on the defensive end and got easy baskets from turnovers. I got a lot of good looks from our offense. It was a good effort after last night.”

Calvin led Hope with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots while Carson Hughs scored 18 as the two combined for 41 of the team’s 51 points.

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