Jacobs passes the test at Bradley Center

MILWAUKEE - Remember that scene in Risky Business when Tom Cruise's character dreams he arrives late for the big exam with only minutes left to take the test?

Saturday was like that in reverse for Jacobs boys basketball team but with a better outcome.

Jacobs star guard Chrishawn Orange and sixth man Mike Canady were among three Golden Eagles who missed the first half of Saturday's nonconference game against Libertyville at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee due to ACT testing at separate locations back in McHenry County.

Though their teammates certainly would have rather had Orange and Canady available from the start, the Golden Eagles met their planned absence with a general shrug. Jacobs (17-5) sank 11 3-pointers, 6 of them in the first half, to cruise to a 62-34 nonconference win.

Senior guard Cory Boeckh led the way with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, and senior Kyle Ross, starting in place of Orange on the Milwaukee Bucks' home court, drained a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers to get Jacobs off on the right foot.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Ross said. "The start was just next man up. We knew Chris and Mike had the ACT so we knew we needed to use our depth to pull out a victory. (My) shot felt good, lucky I was able to get some down. But it was a good team win."

Thanks to Boeckh and Ross, the Golden Eagles hit 5 of their 8 first-quarter attempts from 3-point range to jump to a 19-12 lead on Libertyville (11-11), which blew out Mundelein on Friday night while Jacobs was idle. The Golden Eagles drilled 11 of 19 attempts from 3-point range (58 percent).

"We were concerned coming in about their 3-point shooting," Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil said. "It's just in the first half we were just so slow on our closeouts. It was just real difficult. We got down and playing on this big floor you try to pressure them, but it's not our game."

Northern Michigan-bound senior guard Kenton Mack was a steadying force for Jacobs. He not only scored 7 points in each half, he replaced Orange at point guard in the first two quarters and dished 3 assists.

"Kenton was doing good job getting downhill and kicking it out to Ross and I, and we made shots," Boeckh said.

No Wildcats were able to crack double-digit scoring. Senior Conor Peterson and 6-foot-10 senior center Joe Borcia finished with 9 points apiece for Libertyville, which shot 34.3 percent from the field (12 of 35) and committed 14 turnovers.

Senior forward Matt Bindi scored 11 points and sophomore center Cameron Krutwig added 6 points and 8 rebounds for Jacobs, which won its ninth straight.