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Auburn blitzes Jacobs in second half

ROCKFORD - As far as the pace was concerned in the first half, the Jacobs boys basketball team certainly exceeded expectations against a lightning-quick Rockford Auburn team, which was everything a high-octane transition basketball team could be in Northern Illinois.

But Golden Eagles coach Jim Roberts would be curious to see what was exactly said in the Knights' locker room at the half, as Jacobs couldn't keep up at all in the third quarter.

Auburn took a 1-point lead into the half and turned it into a 15-point edge after 3 quarters of a 58-39 Class 4A Rock Valley College sectional semifinal win over the Golden Eagles, and it was a quarter to forget for a young Jacobs squad that was trying to play for its first sectional title.

The Golden Eagles (23-7) were outscored 20-6 while being forced into 11 turnovers. Leading man Cameron Krutwig, who scored 20 of Jacobs' 23 points in the first half, was limited to just 4 in the quarter and the turnovers didn't stop as Jacobs totaled 21 overall and was denied the entry pass that helped keep pace in the first half.

"If it was just crank it up, don't matter - crank it up and don't even let it get to an opportunity to throw it into (Krutwig), if that's what they talked about at half, that's what they did," Roberts said. "We liked what we wanted to do, and didn't make the play. We had Cam, we could've gone up and from there things unraveled. Once it starts going that way, it's hard to get it back with our young kids."

The Knights, who shot 52 percent on 27 of 51 shooting, head to Friday's sectional final against the winner of Wednesday's game between St. Charles East and Prairie Ridge at 7 p.m., and either team will have to simulate the Knights' swarming defense, which put the Jacobs offense in complete disarray, scoring 15 points off turnovers and converting 12 layups.

"We brought younger guys up to run their stuff but there was no way to simulate that," said Jacobs guard Kyle Ross. "They prevented us from everything we wanted to run and we wish we could've had some of those possession back."

Jacobs trailed by as many as 6 in the second quarter but twice tied the game late in the half where Auburn was less aggressive and in foul trouble. Jacobs sported a 48 percent clip from the field but 17 of its 33 shots belonged to Krutwig, who was a force with 26 points and 16 rebounds on 11 shots. But getting looks from anyone else was just impossible at times as Jacobs went 0-for 9 from 3-point range and it became even tougher once the Knights adjusted at the half.

"We haven't had a guy have 20 in the first half against us ever, " Knights coach Bryan Ott said. "I think our kids guarding the ball really ramped up the pressure. We felt we were playing way too far off guards, respecting too much that they might drive or hit a shot. One of the things we changed was that when we changed their ball screens on the top, instead of following our rule and hedging it and stepping out."

Trayvon Tyler, who carried the Knights all season, finished with 15 points while supporting cast member Shidaye Evans led the way with 21 points. Evans drained a 3-pointer for a 29-25 lead early in the third and it helped fuel a 13-4 run that sealed matters.

"Coach just got on us, told us to play hard," Evans said. "We were trying to get them to play fast. They're a team that plays slow so we had to push tempo."

Images: Jacobs falls to Rockford Auburn, 58-39 in boys sectional basketball

  Jacobs' Timothy Randl comes out of the game with seconds left in the loss to Rockford Auburn Tuesday in the Class 4A sectional semifinal game at Rock Valley College in Rockford. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Jacobs' Cameron Krutwig loses the ball as Rockford Auburn's Shidaye Evans and Devon Richardson defend Tuesday in the Class 4A sectional semifinal game at Rock Valley College in Rockford. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Jacobs' Nikolas Balkcom loses the ball to Rockford Auburn's Patrick Davis Tuesday in the Class 4A sectional semifinal game at Rock Valley College in Rockford. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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