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Energized Warren knocks off Jacobs

The Warren boys basketball team's 1-2-2 ball press caused Jacobs problems throughout Saturday's 49-46 nonconference win.

So did the Blue Devils' superior energy level.

Warren (4-2) used an 11-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to take a 41-29 lead, but Jacobs roared back to score 14 of the next 18 points and cut the deficit to 2.

Ryan Phillips fueled the Jacobs comeback by sinking three consecutive 3-pointers and Kameron Mack added a baseline dunk and a 3-pointer, the latter of which drew the Golden Eagles within a 45-43 with 3:20 left.

That's as close as it got.

Jacobs (3-2) gained a 3-point attempt from the corner with 35 seconds to play, but the shot did not fall. Warren senior guard Branden Ellis grabbed the rebound in the lane, was immediately fouled and sank 2 free throws at the other end to give the Blue Devils a 47-43 lead with 29.4 seconds left.

Jacobs subsequently turned the ball over at the other end for the 17th and final time. Warren's Ian Schilling responded by capping his 7-point fourth quarter with a layup on a press break to make it a 6-point game with eight seconds left.

"We were successful just playing hard, coming back from the tournament we went 3-2 in," Schilling said. "We just took that energy and brought it to this game. We knew they were going to be tough."

Meanwhile, Jacobs played with more enthusiasm during its 14-4 run over a 2:58 span of the fourth quarter than it had all game,

"We needed some urgency in us," Phillips said. "We came out lackadaisical and we lost. We'll learn from it."

Jacobs outrebounded Warren 21-17 and committed 2 more turnovers. The difference was shooting percentage. The Blue Devils knocked down 56 percent of their attempts (19 of 34). Jacobs shot 37 percent (19 of 51) from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range (10 of 30).

"We got more open shots because we were more patient on offense," said Warren senior guard Barak Diehl, who paced Warren with 13 points and 6 rebounds. "Move the ball. Everybody got good looks."

Jacobs' issues went beyond shooting, coach Jimmy Roberts said.

"It's the missed opportunities we had with 11 turnovers in the first half and we had 17 for the game," he said. "When you have that many turnovers when you play against a team that plays that 1-2-2 ball press where the number of possessions are limited and you turn it over 17 times? Well, you know."

Schilling finished with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, Rich contributed 9 points and senior guard David Catanus added 9 points for the Blue Devils. It was their collective defense that left an impression on their coach.

"We held them to 6 points in the second quarter and 9 in the third," Warren coach Jon Jasnoch said. "We did a good job. Guys got hands on a lot of balls, we closed out and we did a better job of boxing out than we did in the first quarter. And we forced some turnovers."

Jacobs absorbed its second loss of the season. The Golden Eagles didn't lose their second game of the 2016-17 campaign until March 14, when they were eliminated in a Sears Centre supersectional by Fremd.

"I thought we played really hard and competed for about three minutes of the fourth quarter and that's not going to be good enough," Roberts said. "Doesn't matter who you play against. And that's kind of what we're fighting right now with this group: finding our way a little bit and competing for 32 minutes."

  Jacobs' Kameron Mack blocks a running jump shot by Warren's Jacob Rich Saturday in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Jacobs' Joshua Volenec can't grab the ball as it goes out-of-bounds and Warren's Adnan Sarancic and Barak Diehl defend him Saturday in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Jacobs' Nikolas Balkcom interrupts a pass for Warren's Branden Ellis Saturday in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Jacobs' Ajani Rodriguez puts up a shot around Warren's Ryan Short Saturday in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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