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Jacobs clinches share of FVC Valley crown

Funny what a year of experience can mean.

The last time the Jacobs boys basketball players ventured into The Swamp in January of 2014, they grabbed a 19-point, third-quarter lead only to see Crystal Lake South erupt for a 33-2 run that vaulted it to victory.

Saturday offered a chance to turn the tables for the better-seasoned Golden Eagles.

Trailing 7-1, Jacobs used a mix of full-court pressure and half-court traps to force 14 first-half turnovers that fueled a 27-0 run. The senior-heavy Golden Eagles cruised to a 61-38 win after leading 33-13 at the half.

"It feels good after what happened here last year," said Jacobs senior guard Kenton Mack, who finished with 8 points and 4 steals. "It kind of killed some demons."

With the victory Jacobs (18-5, 7-0) clinches at least a share of the title in the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference, the program's first conference title since the 2007-08 season and its first under second-year coach Jim Roberts. The Golden Eagles can win the FVC Valley title outright with a home win against Cary-Grove on Tuesday.

"One of our goals this season was to win conference, so we want to get out there and keep winning and get the job done," 6-foot-8 sophomore center Cameron Krutwig said.

Krutwig enjoyed one of the finest games of his two varsity seasons. The 6-foot-8 center finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks, 4 assists and 4 steals. Early in the second quarter he made steals on consecutive CL South possessions and fed the ball ahead to guard Cory Boeckh, who converted one opportunity into a layup and the other into a 3-pointer. Boeckh led all scorers with 17 points, including four 3-pointers.

Roberts said he liked the poise his team exhibited after falling behind early.

"We don't panic, they're experienced," he said of his players. "We don't start taking bad shots. We know eventually we're going to get stops and that's kind of what happened today. Our pressure just kind of grinds on you. It's not really hard; it's just kind of there. We've got kids with length. And we've been getting a lot of spurts and that's what happened in the first half."

At one point in the second quarter, the overwhelmed Gators turned the ball over 5 times in a span of 2:03. Though they had prepared in practice to face Jacobs' pressure, they could not match the quickness of the Eagles' backcourt or the size of their frontcourt.

It was eerily similar to the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 16, when Jacobs forced 6 turnovers in the first quarter of a 75-43 win.

"I thought we were ready for it," Crystal Lake South coach Matt LePage said. "Obviously, it stung us the last time we played them, but it was disappointing the way we just gave them the ball and let them get a bunch of runouts. It was really the biggest factor in the game. We handled it better in the second half, but at that point the damage was done."

Though CL South (14-9, 4-4) rallied to within 10 points of the lead on senior forward Matt Schingel's 3-pointer with 55 seconds left in the third quarter, Jacobs responded with an 8-0 run as Boeckh sank a 3-pointer and Mike Canady and Chrishawn Orange each finished drives.

Schingel scored 16 points and grabbled 5 rebounds and Zach Geske added 8 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, for CL South.

Images: Jacobs vs. Crystal Lake South boys basketball

  Surrounded by a host of Crystal Lake South players including Drew Murtaugh from left, Matthew Schingel, Alexander Reich and Kyle Bartusch, Jacobs' Matt Bindi goes to the hoop during Jacobs at Crystal Lake South boys basketball Saturday. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Crystal Lake South forward Kyle Bartusch tries to break the press as Jacobs forward Chris Orange and guard Cory Boeckh put on some pressure during Jacobs at Crystal Lake South boys basketball Saturday. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Crystal Lake South forward Kyle Bartusch goes to the hoop only to have Jacobs forward Cameron Krutwig block his shot during Jacobs at Crystal Lake South boys basketball Saturday. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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