Jacobs blows past Grant to set up semifinal vs. Larkin

Jacobs senior guard Mike Canady epitomizes his belief that he has never played on a basketball team this unselfish.

Canady knew he was on borrowed time as a starter until Northern Michigan-bound Kenton Mack returned from a knee injury. Now Canady is making the most of his time off the bench such as Tuesday night when he scored 11 points to help the Golden Eagles finish 3-0 in pool play with a 69-23 victory over Grant in the Hinkle Holiday Classic in Algonquin.

"I like to go out there and play and I like to win," Canady said after scoring 7 points in the second quarter and making 5 of 6 shots from the field. "I like to help the team win."

Jacobs (8-3) won for the sixth time in seven tries as Mack had a game-high 18 points and 2 assists. Chrishawn Orange hit all 5 of his shots from the field en route to 13 points and 6 rebounds and 6-foot-8 sophomore Cameron Krutwig had 8 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

"We can all score and we all look for each other," Canady said after Jacobs shot 59.1 percent from the field (26-for-44) and had a 28-15 rebound advantage. "We don't force the issue and we make good choices. We make the extra pass and we're always looking for the open guys."

Now Jacobs is looking toward Friday's 7:30 p.m. semifinal against Larkin (9-4) and 6-6 sophomore standout Christian Negron. Barrington and 6-9 junior Division I prospect Rapolas Ivanauskas will meet Zion-Benton and 6-5 Tennessee recruit Admiral Schofield in the 6 p.m. semifinal.

And Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts knows Canady will be a big key in two weekend games where depth will matter. Roberts said Mack's return has allowed Canady and shooting guard Cory Boeckh to return to more customary roles.

Canady came in and found Mack for a 3 and followed with a driving 3-point play down the lane for a 20-7 lead 5:35 before halftime.

"That's what he's capable of doing," Roberts said. "He's a really good basketball player. This is something he can take and hopefully give us against Larkin on Friday."

For Canady, it's about giving whatever he can to help the Golden Eagles succeed.

"I'm a big defensive guy but I like to score, too," Canady said. "When I come in my role is to play defense, hit open shots and be a hustle player. That's what I do."

Grant (0-10) trailed only 14-7 after a quarter and 22-11 with 4:17 left in the half on a driving turnaround jumper by Ben Kusiak. Jacobs scored the next 17 points in a 27-2 tear.

The Bulldogs shot 22.5 percent from the field (9-for-40) and committed 24 turnovers that Jacobs converted into 38 points.

"In the first quarter we hung in there a little bit but in the second quarter we reverted back to what we've struggled with," said Grant coach Wayne Bosworth. "We were forcing shots and we wasted way too many possessions. We started jacking up shots and all of a sudden we were down by 20.

"Our game plan was to hopefully slow it down against a team like this, keep the score low and keep the possessions to a minimum. That was our best shot to give ourselves a shot at the end."