Jacobs notches first win of season
As Jacobs' fan base tortured the opposition from the stands, chanting, "Santa's watching!" even Jacobs' boys basketball team was hoping Santa was watching.
The Golden Eagles didn't want a hula hoop or a new car -OK, maybe the car - but Jacobs looked for its first win of the season, and used a key sequence at the end of the second quarter to make it happen.
Down by 3 with the clock running down, Matt Schmidt was fouled on a desperation heave about 25 feet from the hoop as the half concluded. The shot clanked off the rim, but he sank all three free throws to tie the game at 23. What ensued afterward was a momentum-building 9-0 run to start the third, as Jacobs stormed to a 60-48 win over Chicago Lindblom on the opening night of the Jacobs Holiday Tournament.
Yet, you won't find Jacobs head coach Jim Hinkle salivating over the team's first victory.
"I'm not too happy with our performance. But, it's nice to get off the snide and get a W," said Hinkle. "We had way too many turnovers. We'll just take a W when we can get it. Two things are never ugly, wins, and babies, and we got a win tonight, but not any babies."
What the comedic Hinkle noted was the turnovers. Jacobs committed 20 turnovers thanks to a trap defense by Lindblom. Yet, the Golden Eagles played well enough in spurts, and it was that key run to start the second half, and also a surprise spark from Brandon Richman.
Richman came off the bench and scored 5 points in a 9-0 run, the last coming off his 16-footer from the left corner which gave Jacobs a 32-23 lead 3 minutes in. His 3-point play from an offensive rebound putback proved to be a major catalyst.
"How bout Richman, you know? He had a great game," Hinkle said.
"I saw that we needed a little more energy, and so I came in there and wanted to give it my all," Richman said, finishing with 9 points and 3 rebounds.
It was then Jacobs relaxed, and the buckets poured in. The Golden Eagles shot 23-for-48 from the field, and were led by Sean Meyer, who scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, and earned a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Meyer used a fade away in the lane that upped the lead to 8, and then he went backdoor from a pass from Nick Hofman (13 points) with 4:40 remaining, giving Jacobs a 52-41 lead.
Schmidt also added 13 points, including a huge 3-pointer at the end of the third when Lindblom went on a mini-run, cutting Jacobs' lead to 2. Jacobs' defense held the other Eagles to 19-of-54 shooting, and won the battle on the glass 34-27.