advertisement

Hampshire rallies past Jacobs

The Hampshire boys basketball team used its height advantage to pull out a 51-48 come-from-behind Fox Valley Conference victory over Jacobs Friday night in Algonquin.

The Whip-Purs trailed the Golden Eagles 43-36 at the start of the fourth quarter. Hampshire allowed only a Jaden Henderson 3-point basket while scoring 10 points in the paint during the first six minutes of the frame to tie the game at 46-46. Colin Woods dropped in the tying bucket on a pullup jumper with 2:10 left to play.

Woods also came up with a crucial rebound on Jacobs' next possession, grabbing a missed 3-point shot that would have put Jacobs up back on top. The junior guard scored a team-high 15 points.

A J.D. Shaw free throw with 1:28 to go put the Whip-Purs ahead for the first time since the first quarter, 47-46. Henderson returned the lead to Jacobs, connecting on two charity tosses. A Shaw inside basket gave Hampshire a 49-48 advantage.

After Jacobs turned the ball over on its next possession, Hampshire senior guard Kyle Johnson (10 points) was fouled. With 4.6 seconds left to play, he connected on both ends of a 1-and-1 on what turned out to be the last points of the game and gave the Whip-Purs a little breathing room.

After two timeouts, Jacobs' Henderson, who led all scorers with 21 points, got the ball for a last-second shot. However, Hampshire forced a turnover ending the threat and the game.

"The plan (in the fourth quarter) was to get consistent stops defensively. It was more a focus to finish the defensive possession, go strong to the ball and grab it," said Hampshire coach Ben Whitehouse. "Offensively, we knew we had a size advantage inside, so we wanted to be quick off the ball screen reversal and get it inside."

"We were good into the fourth," Jacobs coach Jim Roberts said. "All we had to do was pass it and catch it and we weren't able to do that."

With three starters 6-5 or taller, Hampshire had a height advantage over Jacobs. The Golden Eagles, whose tallest player is the 6-4 Henderson, successfully neutralized it during the first three quarters.

"That's just our kids and our culture here," Roberts said. "We are a little undersized and we are going to fight and we are going to defend." Hampshire (4-3, 3-0) jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first six points of the game. Jacobs (4-4, 1-2) battled backed and took a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Golden Eagles held the Whip-Purs scoreless for a five minute period spanning the first and second quarters. Jacobs led 28-24 at the half.

"Their physicality got to us," Whitehouse said about his team's early scoring drought. "We weren't ready for their combination of speed and strength."

Nicholas Erickson scored 11 points for Hampshire while Matt McCoy chipped in 9 for Jacobs.

  Jacobs' James Hayes (5) goes for the shot under pressure from Hampshire's Jeremy Rosa Jr (32) and Collin Woods (5) during Friday's boys basketball game in Algonquin. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Jacobs' Andrew Balkcom (33) is pressured by Hampshire's Collin Woods during the boys basketball game Friday in Algonquin. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Hampshire's Nicholas Erickson, left, and Jacobs' Keshaun Lyons grab for the rebound during the boys basketball game Friday in Algonquin. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.