Jacobs 67, Cary-Grove 61
Two weeks ago Tim Moran was relegated to the bench, sidelined with a bout of mononucleosis.
Moran, who missed games against Woodstock and McHenry, returned to the lineup a week ago Friday in a regular-season finale Dundee-Crown.
The Jacobs junior showed in Friday night's Class 4A Crystal Lake South regional title game against Cary-Grove he has totally recovered.
Moran scored 16 points, including buzzer-beaters in the first, second and third quarters, and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the top-seeded Golden Eagles to a 67-61 win over No. 2 Cary-Grove at Gator Alley.
"I feel totally 100 percent," said Moran. "My body was broken down and I was tired. I just needed a break. I felt great. My shot was there and my timing was there.
"Cary-Grove is a very tough team. We had four really good games against them. We are just happy to win and get a chance to play the sectionals at home."
Jacobs (26-2), which beat Cary-Grove (18-11) four times this season, advances to the Class 4A Jacobs sectional on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against Rockford Boylan, which defeated Rockford Auburn 59-57.
The regional title was Jacobs fifth overall, its first since 1998.
Moran hit a 15-footer to end the first quarter, which gave the Golden Eagles a 17-14 lead.
The Jacobs junior nailed a 3-pointer to end the first half and the top-seed went to the Locker room with a 30-27 lead.
Moran worked his magic again to end the third quarter with a 3 from the left corner and the Golden Eagles held a 43-37 advantage after 24 minutes of play.
"That was Tim's best game of the season," said Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle. "He was solid at both ends of the floor. Finally, next season with John (Moran) gone, he can get out of the shadows of his three brothers (John, Jim, Kevin)."
Cary-Grove coach Ralph Schuetzle praised Moran's play.
"Tim Moran was the difference tonight," said the Cary-Grove boss. "If he has an average game, we probably win. He really stepped up and played well."
Jacobs looked to be in good shape for the victory when Eric Schmidt hit a 3-pointer with 3:11 left to bulge the Golden Eagles' lead to 59-46.
But led by some unbelievable shooting by Mark Tometich, the Trojans refused to give up. The Cary-Grove senior collected 4 3-pointers to launch Cary-Grove on a 12-1 run.
Tometich's 3-pointer from 25 feet out with 1:42 left pulled the Trojans within a point at 59-58.
But Cary-Grove couldn't get any closer. The Golden Eagles closed the game out from the free throw line, making 8-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute. John Moran made 6-of-6 while Zack Peterson went 2 of 2.
"We beat an outstanding team tonight," said Hinkle. "It is hard to believe we beat them four times. The twins (Tometiches) are unbelievable players. We had to play a great game to beat them. We had a few more players."
John Moran led Jacobs with 18 points and 7 assists. Peterson equaled Tim Moran's scoring output with 16. Conrad Krutwig scored 12 with 13 rebounds.
Mark Tometich led Cary-Grove with 26 including six 3-pointers. Ben Jacquier scored 14 and Paul Tometich 10.