Jacobs pulls away from Woodstock
Down by 6 points and with standout Cameron Krutwig in early foul trouble, Jacobs didn't panic. Other players calmly stepped up until Jacobs' big man could reassert himself, and the Golden Eagles slowly pulled away from Woodstock for a 62-42 boys basketball win in Fox Valley Conference crossover action in Algonquin Tuesday night.
Krutwig, who had to sit after drawing 2 early fouls, returned in the second quarter and finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Ryan Phillips added 14 points and 7 boards. Nikolas Balkcom and Brian Rehsteiner scored 8 and 7 points, respectively, off the bench for Jacobs (4-1).
The Blue Streaks came out hot, taking a 19-13 lead after one quarter. Vannis Smith accounted for 8 of those points. Woodstock led 22-18 early in the second quarter, but with Krutwig returning to the lineup, Jacobs ended the half on a 12-2 run to lead 30-24 at the break.
The Eagles continued to pull away, outscoring the visitors 17-6 in the third quarter.
"Cam came out of the game when he got two fouls, and our guys did a good job of relaxing and not panicking," said Jacobs coach Jim Roberts.
"As a team we can't get down when Cam goes out of the game, just because we're missing our best player," said Phillips. "We have to keep playing. That should be a motivation for us to play even harder, because if he can't carry us, we have to work harder as a group because someone has to produce the offense."
When Woodstock switched to a zone defense in the third quarter, the Eagles took advantage by hitting some outside shots. Phillips hit a pair of 3-pointers and Cooper Schwartz also knocked one down in the period. Roberts said that the Eagles' experience at the Palatine Thanksgiving tournament helped prepare them.
"We played four different teams and a bunch of different styles, and when they went to that stuff tonight we were ready for it," he said.
Behind Krutwig and Phillips, Jacobs dominated the backboards with a 38-30 advantage. The Eagles took care of the ball on the offensive end, committing just 8 turnovers.
Smith finished with 13 points, and Daniel Shook also scored 13 for Woodstock.