Despite sectional loss, Jacobs has much to look forward to
ROCKFORD - What happened to a young Jacobs boys basketball team against senior-led Rockford Auburn in a Class 4A Rock Valley College sectional semifinal on Tuesday is exactly what should have happened in the unforgiving state tournament.
Though the Golden Eagles entered the Round of 32 armed with an irresistible force in ever-improving, 6-foot-9, 270-pound junior Cam Krutwig, they were overwhelmed in the second half of a 58-39 loss to the best team in Rockford over the past several years.
It wasn't hard to see why. Auburn was led mostly by mature, fully developed, physical seniors, though only one, 6-foot senior guard Trayvon Tyler, gained any varsity experience last year.
Experience in such situations matters little when a team can physically overwhelm another team. Up-and-coming Jacobs, which started two sophomore guards, couldn't match the speed, intensity or strength of Auburn seniors like 6-5 forward Shidaye Evans, who led the Knights with 22 points. Or Tyler, who finished with 14 points. Or 6-1 senior Juwane Parchman, who contributed 11.
Jacobs hung in there for a half, trailing only 24-23 at intermission, but 11 third-quarter turnovers began an irreversible descent. The Knights outscored the Golden Eagles 20-6 in the third quarter as the game went from interesting to over in less than eight minutes.
But there's no shame in that for young Jacobs. Senior-led teams are supposed to take advantage of matchups against younger players. That's why kids are separated in sports by age group until the reach the high school varsity. Bigger, stronger kids tend to win.
In the big scheme of things, losing in a sectional semifinal with this group is about right, which is why Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts said afterward he was content with how the postseason played out. As he should be. Jacobs took a step after losing in a regional semifinal in 2015.
The beauty of sophomores, as coaches like to say, is that they soon become juniors and seniors.
"These guys are young and that's some serious heat in a serious atmosphere," said Krutwig, who finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds. "That's just going to mold these guys into better players. I played in a sectional semi as a freshman and it was just crazy. Playing in that game helped me, and playing in this game is going to help those guys, for sure."
With only three seniors set to graduate and Krutwig back for his fourth varsity season, the Golden Eagles saw Tuesday's loss more of a launching point toward next year than the end of this one.
"We've got a chance to be a really, really, really special basketball team," Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts said. "We have a chance to be special next year. We have a one-of-a-kind kid and we've got some guards who are talented who are coming who have been in some serious battles and wars. This is only going to make us better and learn from it.
"We're going to play a high, high level of competition in the summer. We're starting going to the Riverside-Brookfield Shootout, which is one of the best in the state. Yeah, we have a chance to be special, and it's a special group of kids, which is what makes it really exciting and something to look forward to."
jfitzpatrick@dailyherald.com