First place in Valley at stake Friday night for Jacobs, D-C
The only contest more exciting than a midwinter boys basketball rivalry game is a rivalry game with first place at stake.
The top spot in the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference is on the line when District 300 rivals Dundee-Crown (13-4, 4-0) and Jacobs (18-2, 4-0) tangle in Algonquin tonight at 7 p.m.
"Crown and Jacobs - no matter how good or bad we are, we always challenge each other," D-C senior guard Greg McNally said last week.
Both teams come into this first of two meetings with a full head of steam. Jacobs is ranked No. 3 in the Daily Herald Top 20. Dundee-Crown is No. 16.
Jacobs is on a roll. Led by 6-foot-5 senior center Conrad Krutwig (22.7 ppg., 9.6 rpg), the Golden Eagles have won 16 straight games after a 2-2 start. The two-time defending Valley Division champs are 24-0 in Valley Division games since the FVC adopted a two-division format for the 2006-07 season.
Dundee-Crown is playing its best basketball. The Chargers have won 4 games in a row and 6 of their last 7. Their four Valley Division wins against Woodstock, Crystal Lake South, McHenry and Cary-Grove came by an average margin of 19.3 points.
"I think everyone's excited for this game," Dundee-Crown coach Lance Huber said. "It should be pretty exciting with a lot of fans there from both schools. It should be a fun game. It's usually fun anyway, but with both teams performing as well as they are it should be a great atmosphere. Jacobs is playing really well and we're playing well. It'll be settled on the court."
Jacobs is used to playing in big games. The two-time defending champs are accustomed to fending off the best effort their opponent has to give.
"I ask these kids every week what's the biggest game of the year, and they'll all shout the name of whatever team we're playing next," Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle said. "Well, this is the biggest game of the year this week."
"It will definitely be a lot louder. More people, more enthusiasm. It will be more exciting because there will be so many more people involved. That makes it a little bit different. But does it count more or less than any other game? Not really. Just the periphery is different. They must have 10 different fundraisers going on that night because they know everyone around is going to be at this basketball game."
One matchups to watch is Krutwig against 6-6 Dundee-Crown senior center Charles Kimbrough (8.2 ppg., 6.2 rpg.). Kimbrough is a shot blocker whose scoring totals have been rising since the holidays.
Another intriguing matchup is D-C senior point guard and captain Jeff Beck (16.8 ppg., 5.5 rpg.) and Jacobs sophomore Mike Peterson, a 3-point shooting threat who averages 3.4 assists per game. Peterson and fellow sophomore starting guard, Nick Hofman, will face an all-senior D-C guard rotation.
"They've held their own against everyone they've gone against this year, but I think this will be one of the stiffest challenges they've had," Hinkle said of his young backcourt. "It'll be interesting to find out. We think our sophomores have come a long way throughout the year.
"But we're not out to prove who is better than whom individually. We just want to win the game. I told the team, 'Nobody has to prove he's better than Beck. No one has to prove he's better than (Kimbrough). We don't have to prove that. We just want to win the ballgame. The kids get caught up in those kinds of matchups.
"I remind them of the old clichés - it's D-C against Jacobs, not Beck versus Peterson."
Around the area tonight: Elgin (9-11, 2-3), which has won 3 of its last 4 games, hosts Neuqua Valley (22-1, 6-1), tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats are on a 15-game winning streak... Wheaton Academy (11-6, 4-1) plays for the final time at Westminster Christian (13-7, 2-4) in Private School League action. Both teams will join new conferences next season... Cary-Grove (11-10, 0-4) will try to snap a 5-game losing skid at McHenry at 7 p.m. ... St. Edward (6-14, 2-8) will try to end a 6-game losing skid in the Suburban Catholic Conference in Wheaton against St. Francis (12-7, 5-4)... Huntley (12-8, 2-2) will try to hold onto third place in the Fox Division in this test at Johnsburg (11-9, 2-2).
Around the area Saturday: Streamwood (9-10, 2-4) and South Elgin (11-6, 3-2) square off in a District U-46 battle in South Elgin at 6 p.m. ... Former Bartlett assistant coach Jamie Codron brings his Bloomington squad to Bartlett (11-7) for a nonconference matinee at 2:30 p.m. ... Hampshire (14-6, 6-0) aims to extend its winning streak to 10 straight with a victory against visiting Marengo (2-17, 1-6).