Jacobs knocks off top seed DeKalb in OT
The Jacobs boys basketball team answered the big if Friday.
In the weeks leading up to the postseason, speculation concerning Jacobs' playoff fortunes centered on if the team's guards - particularly sophomore starters Ryan Phillips and Nik Balkcom - could put behind them the inconsistent performances of their respective first varsity seasons and give standout 6-foot-9 junior center Cam Krutwig the support he needed to make Jacobs a regional champion.
The sophomore duo answered that question on Friday with an emphatic yes.
Balkcom scored 6 of his 8 points in overtime and Phillips scored 5 of his 14 points in the extra session to lift No. 4 Jacobs to a 54-48 victory over top seed DeKalb in the Class 4A South Elgin regional championship game.
"We're a young team, but it didn't hurt us much," Phillips said. "We've persevered through so much. We have so much confidence."
The regional title is the second in three seasons under third-year coach Jim Roberts and the Golden Eagles are well positioned for more success. Of the 54 points scored by the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division champions, only 5 came from seniors.
"Those young kids, man," said Roberts, shaking his head. "I'm going to keep calling them young kids because I like them to be kids, I like them as kids. But they're growing up awfully, awfully fast. I'm real proud of them."
Jacobs (23-6) advances to the Rock Valley College sectional to face Rockford Auburn (22-6) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Auburn won its third straight regional title and its sixth in eight years with Friday's 58-48 victory over Hononegah at the Harlem regional.
"I'm just going to enjoy this moment with my teammates but sectionals, we're gearing up," said Krutwig, who led the Golden Eagles with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. "We want to make a deep playoff run for sure."
Jacobs had a chance to win the game in regulation. The Golden Eagles inbounded with 15 seconds left and got the ball in Krutwig's hands at the top of the circle with 8 seconds left. The 6-foot-9, 270-pound forward made a spin move to the left side of the lane, but DeKalb 6-8 senior Luke Davis blocked Krutwig's shot with seconds left to force overtime.
"I thought that was a great individual play," DeKalb coach Al Biancalana said of Davis, who finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. "I tell you, he really walled up very, very well and timed it so he was the second guy off the floor. That gave us another opportunity. You have to have your best players make plays at the end of games and he certainly did that to help us have a chance."
Phillips opened the overtime with 2 free throws and later gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good, 43-41, via a transition bucket with three minutes left.
Following a DeKalb missed 3-pointer at the other end, Krutwig's skip pass found Balkcom alone on the left wing for a 3-pointer and a 46-41 lead with 2:15 remaining.
"Cam was down there and they were all doubling him, you know? So they left me open," Balkcom said. "I found an open spot and I hit it. It felt great."
DeKalb drew within 4 points with a pair of free throws by junior point guard Cole Tucker, but the Golden Eagles responded with the game-sealing sequence. After Balkcom split a pair of free throws, senior Tim Randl hustled for the offensive rebound. Balkcom was eventually fouled again and sank both free throws for a 3-point possession that staked Jacobs to a 49-42 lead with under a minute to play.
"Tim Randl, his grandmother passed away this week and he wasn't at practice the last two days," Roberts said. "The kid's unbelievable, making a hustle play."
Jacobs made 10 of 12 overtime free-throw attempts to pull out the victory.
The Barbs opened the game on a 6-0 run, but Jacobs led 12-10 after a quarter, 21-17 at the half and 34-30 through three periods.
DeKalb regained the lead 36-35 with 5:15 left in regulation when Tucker turned a steal into a breakaway layup, but the Barbs couldn't capitalize on their momentum.
"I thought the key to the game was in the fourth quarter when we got four consecutive stops with a 1-point lead and then we turned the ball over three out of four times," Biancalana said. "We missed a layup and we turned the ball over the next three times. We had a chance to extend that lead. We score 2 or 3 possessions there, it's a whole different game but it didn't happen."
Senior guard Michael Pollack scored 15 points and Tucker added 14 for DeKalb.