Jacobs 52, Prairie Ridge 30
Jacobs is known as an offensive scoring machine that can rip off points in huge chunks.
Friday night, the Golden Eagles won with defense.
Holding Prairie Ridge nearly 13 minutes without a field goal, Jacobs christened its new gymnasium with a grinding 52-30 win over the Wolves in a Fox Valley Conference boys basketball crossover game in Algonquin.
"As a team we played very well defensively tonight," said Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle.
"You have to be patient defensively against Prairie Ridge because they will chew up 20, 30, 40 seconds against you in one possession. "
The game was played on even terms in the first quarter. There were ties at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 before PR's Mike Ungari canned a 12-footer with 33 seconds left to give the visitors a 12-10 lead after one quarter.
The Wolves would like to forget the last three quarters. In the second quarter, PR (1-5) didn't score a point until Bryan McGinn converted 1 of 2 from the free throw line with 4:19 left in the first half to cut the deficit to 14-13. It was the Wolves' only point of the second quarter.
Jacobs (3-1), which outscored PR 10-1, scored the final 6 points on 3 layups by John Moran and led 20-13 at intermission.
Jacobs made sure that Prairie Ridge wouldn't come back by scoring the first 8 points of the third quarter. Two baskets each by Moran and Conrad Krutwig extended the Golden Eagles' 7 point halftime lead to 28-13 with 4:14 left.
The Wolves mounted a comeback as Ungari connected on 3 free throws and Bryan Bradshaw canned a 12-footer as PR scored 5 straight points and pulled to within 10 at 28-18 with 2:08 left. Bradshaw's basket broke a 13-minute drought for the Wolves without a hoop.
Jacobs led 34-22 after three quarters.
The Wolves climbed within 8 at 36-28 after a basket by Ungari early in the fourth quarter but couldn't get any closer. A 10-0 run by the Golden Eagles led by 6 points from Krutwig gave Jacobs a 46-28 lead.
Prairie Ridge, which made only 4 of 24 from the field for 16 percent in the final three quarters, converted 9 of 33 for the game for 27 percent. The Wolves turned the ball over 26 times, 11 in the second quarter.
"We just turned the ball over way too many times," said Prairie Ridge coach Corky Card. "We couldn't pass or catch the ball tonight."
John Moran led the Golden Eagles with 17 points and 6 assists.
"We knew we had to stay patient offensively and defensively," said Moran.
"They are so patient offensively and they just wait until they get a good shot.
Krutwig added 14 for the winners. Ungari scored 15 for the Wolves.