Jacobs tops Saxons for 12th straight win

Schaumburg took the court without injured star point guard Cully Payne for the second straight game and the Jacobs boys basketball team took no mercy.

The Golden Eagles broke from the gate with a 13-2 run, led 33-18 at halftime and never allowed the Saxons within 10 points in the second half of a convincing 62-48 victory at the 12th Annual High School Hoops Showdown at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on Saturday night.

It was the 12th straight win for Jacobs (14-2), an important victory against a team ranked No. 8 in Class 4A Associated Press poll.

"To go out (and win) against such highly ranked opponent like that - and I know one of their star players didn't play, but still - we talked in the locker room, whether (Payne) was playing or not, about going out and leaving it all out on the floor," Jacobs center Conrad Krutwig said.

Krutwig was a force in the paint once again. He was held to 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, a bit below his 22.5 points-per-game average. However, he finished with 13 rebounds, surpassing his average of 9.4.

Conversely, Schaumburg (15-3) couldn't muster much post offense against Krutwig and forwards Tim Moran and Mike Barch. No Saxon forward cracked double-digits in scoring, led instead by perimeter shooters. Junior guard Joe Infusino paced Schaumburg with 14 points (4 of 5 from 3-point range) and junior guard Declan Geraghty finished with 11 points.

The difference in the game was the first five minutes, when Jacobs bolted to its 13-2 lead. "We laid down at the beginning," Geraghty said. "We didn't come out ready to go like we were prepared for the game."

Tim Moran scored 2 baskets to ignite Jacobs and Krutwig capped the run with an athletic drive to the basket on a fast break, forcing Schaumburg to take a timeout.

"Obviously, it was a huge game for them," Schaumburg coach Bob Williams said. "It was a huge game for us, and I was very disappointed with our mentality to start the game. Our level of intensity did not match theirs. That's something we've been able to do every game, and I was a little disappointed in that. But give the credit to Jacobs. They came with that focus and they were ready to go.

"I'm sure with all the things that have been going on with our team... but that's an easy excuse. We don't accept those. We think high school kids are men and should stand up and take accountability for what they've done, and we did not give our best effort. We're disappointed we didn't show better than we did."

The Saxons cut the deficit to 23-18 with 5:15 left in the second quarter, when Infusino sank back-to-back 3-pointers. But Jacobs closed the first half with a 10-0 run, capped by back-to-back layups from guard Patton Hofer on backdoor feeds from Krutwig in the high post.

"That's what we thought would be open because Schaumburg plays such great defense and takes away the passing lanes," Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle said. "We thought that would be the best way to attack it. The kids really, really did a super job. I'm really happy with them. They really executed extremely well."

Sophomore guard Nick Hofman finished with 12 points for Jacobs and Moran added 10 points and 7 rebounds.