Burlington Central avenges loss to Jacobs
What a difference 52 days makes.
On Dec 14, Jacobs defeated host Burlington Central by 15, 54-39.
It was a much different story at the Eagles Nest Tuesday night.
Staving off a valiant rally by Jacobs, the Rockets held on for a 61-58 win over the Eagles in Fox Valley Conference action in Algonquin.
"We have grown as a team since the last time we played Jacobs," said Rockets coach Brett Porto. "We are playing four sophomores and a freshman and our young guys are learning how to play in this league. We did a great job of keeping our poise at the end of the game."
The Rockets (17-8, 8-5) got a great effort from seniors Jake Lenschow and Josh Hudgens.
Lenschow, 7-of-10 from the field, scored 17 points with 12 rebounds.
"This is a great win on the road," said Lenschow. "This win will help with our confidence. We stayed aggressive the whole game. Our young team is starting to jell. We are hoping to be ready for postseason play. Playing the regional at home we will have a definite advantage."
Hudgens, with a pair of 3-pointers, scored 14 with 9 boards.
"We are evolving as a team, said Hudgens. "We are a different team than we were when we played Jacobs in December. This is a huge win on the road, We are learning that there are no easy wins in this conference. Our young guys are getting better every game."
Zac Schmidt chipped in with 10 for the winners.
Central seemed in good shape for an easy win after a putback from Gavin Sarvis with 4:15 left to give the Rockets a 58-45 advantage.
The Eagles didn't quit. Spearheaded by 6 points from Jaden Henderson, a 3-pointer from Brock Lewis and a 15-footer from Robert Pennel, Jacobs (14-10, 7-6) went on a 11-2 run to pull within 60-56 with 1:36 remaining.
A layup by Andrew Balkcom with 33 seconds left pulled the Eagles to within 61-58.
That was the final.
Henderson, who was an incredible 11-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, scored a career-high 31 points.
"Jaden had a great night," said Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts. "He had great looks all night. It is a shame Jaden's effort was wasted."
Zach Leahy, with two 3-pointers, added 8 for Jacobs.
"I have said over and over during the course of the season that we have to be ready from the get-go," said Roberts. "We weren't ready to play. That changes the complexion of the game. We kept breaking down on defense and they got easy shots. These kids will never quit. We had opportunities at the end. It was just too little too late."