Can 'greedy' D-C deny Jacobs?
The Dundee-Crown boys basketball team already owns a share of the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title, but sharing isn't the Chargers' best quality.
"We all want to be greedy and not let Jacobs have any of it," D-C senior Aaron Reams said Tuesday night after the Chargers clinched at least a share of the Valley title by rallying from a 9-point deficit to win at Cary-Grove.
Dundee-Crown (18-5, 9-0) aims to deny two-time defending champion Jacobs (23-2, 8-1) a split title by winning the regular-season finale between the District 300 schools in Carpentersville tonight at 7 p.m.
"It's nice to know we have a share, but we're not satisfied with the share," D-C guard Rob Stupar said. "We want the whole thing - the outright conference championship."
Dundee-Crown won the conference outright in 2005-06. The last time the Chargers won an undefeated FVC title was 1994-95, when they finished 14-0.
D-C grabbed sole possession of first place on Feb. 6 with a 67-63 victory over the Golden Eagles in Algonquin, which snapped Jacobs' 24-game Valley Division winning streak. Both teams have gone 4-0 in league play since to set the stage for the rematch.
Dundee-Crown officials are anticipating a large crowd. Because there is no school today, the doors at D-C will open at 4:30 p.m. The sophomore game will start at 5:30 p.m. There will be no advance ticket sales.
Overflow parking will be directed to the football parking lot, and Dundee-Crown will be running a shuttle bus back and forth all night. Should the gym reach capacity, D-C will offer a video and audio telecast of the game in the school's multipurpose room. Questions should be directed to the D-C athletic office at (224) 484-5100.
During Wednesday's practice at Jacobs, the Golden Eagles prepared for the rematch in workmanlike fashion without mention of the game's significance.
"Nobody had to say anything," Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle said. "Everyone knows what's on the line. We really didn't even talk about it.
"We've had our backs against the wall since (Feb. 6), and we've responded very well. Now we're looking forward to playing in a game where we've given ourselves an opportunity. We've been in a can't-afford-to-lose situation for a couple of weeks. This is where we wanted to be."
This will be the final regular-season game for Jacobs four-year starters Conrad Krutwig and Tim Moran, who co-own the record for most career wins in a Jacobs uniform.
Dundee-Crown offsets Jacobs' experience in the post with its overall maturity. Coach Lance Huber's eight-man rotation includes all seniors. Third-year guard Jeff Beck (18.2 ppg.) and fellow seniors Marcus Henry, Aaron Reams, Justin Strzelczyk, Greg McNally and Stupar have the edge in experience over Jacobs' talented, young backcourt, which features two sophomore starters.
Though tonight's rematch is obviously critical in light of its conference title implications, it may only be the penultimate chapter of a trilogy. The rivals are the top two seeds at next week's Class 4A Dundee-Crown regional. If seeds hold, No. 1 Dundee-Crown and No. 2 Jacobs would face each other a week from tonight with considerably more at stake than a division title.