Larkin keeps its cool, downs Jacobs

It took just 2½ minutes for Larkin to lose 75 percent of a comfortable 12-point lead in Friday night's Hinkle Holiday Classic semifinal against host Jacobs.

But the important thing head coach Deryn Carter and assistant Jon Winters noticed in a timeout with 1:12 left in the third quarter was the Royals weren't losing their composure or confidence.

Larkin (11-4) calmly responded to the challenge with a 66-51 victory to advance to Saturday's 7:30 p.m. championship game against Barrington (11-3), which beat defending champion Zion-Benton 88-81 in overtime.

“We're learning,” said Larkin 6-foot-6 sophomore Christian Negron, who had game-highs of 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting and 12 rebounds. “We kept our body language up. We tried to keep our composure and we stayed mentally strong.”

Larkin trailed only once at 13-12 and led 39-27 on a tip-in by Negron. But Jacobs (8-4), which plays Zion for third at 6 p.m. today, answered with a 13-4 burst.

Six-eight sophomore Cameron Krutwig (13 points, 10 rebounds) had 4 points, Kenton Mack had a steal and drive and hit a 3-pointer and a drive by Chrishawn Orange (14 points) got the Golden Eagles within 43-40 when Carter called time.

“My assistant (Winters) made a great point and he said our body language was phenomenal,” Carter said. “They're a good team and they're going to make runs and we responded really well.”

A scramble for a loose ball saw senior guard Charles Sanders get 1 of his 5 assists to 6-5 Daniel McFadden (12 points on 6-for-7 shooting) for a layup three seconds before the end of the quarter.

“I thought our kids did a good job of fighting back and they just made really big plays and hit really big shots,” said Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts. “The play at the end of the third quarter was a really big play. We lost the 50-50 ball that turned into a layup for them.”

The Royals went 9-for-12 from the field in the fourth quarter with some shots that had a significant degree of difficulty. Negron hit a driving baseline jumper and a jump hook, Sanders had a drive the through the lane and reserve guards A.J. Hunter and Keion Adams hit running floaters over Krutwig.

“They made some tough shots,” Roberts said.

Keyvon Kyles (15 points) also hit his fourth 3 of the game in 6 attempts as six Royals scored in the fourth quarter.

“It's nice,” Negron said. “Some guys hit some big shots down the stretch. I love it.”