Jacobs takes on No. 1 Glenbard E. at Sears

Zach Miller noticed the difference after Christmas.

All of a sudden there was a big buzz about the Glenbard East boys basketball program.

"When I went to the Pontiac tournament a bunch of people were coming up and congratulating me and talking to me about the big win over Neuqua (Valley)," the junior guard said of the 18-point victory for the Elgin Holiday Tournament title. "We've continued to play great since."

And the 15-1 Rams have continued to pick up more acclaim going into Saturday's 13th annual High School Hoops Showdown at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. They'll open the tripleheader at 4:30 p.m. against Jacobs (3-12).

The second game at 6:30 p.m. features the rivalry of Aurora Central Catholic (10-6) and Marmion (10-7). Neuqua (18-1) meets West Aurora (7-8) at 8:30 p.m.

Glenbard East, the No. 1 ranked team in the Daily Herald Top 20, made its only Elite Eight trip in 1964 when it lost 84-43 in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Pekin. The school produced all-staters Brad Waller (1980), who went to Northern Illinois, and Mike Capocci (2007), a junior at Northwestern.

"People may not realize we've averaged 20 wins the last six years," said Glenbard East coach Scott Miller. "We feel we've been pretty good, but obviously this is the best team we've had.

"This is an opportunity to get out there before people who haven't seen us play to showcase ourselves."

The Rams will look to display the balance which has been their key to success. Zach Miller, 6-foot-3 junior Jon Hill, 6-7 Lee Skinner and senior guard Jack Merrithey all average in double figures.

"We're hoping to show Saturday night, when people watch us play, they'll see how good we really are and it isn't just hearsay," Zach Miller said. "They can see with their eyes we're a fun team to watch with a lot of unselfishness."

All of Glenbard East's wins have been by double digits, and it has won nine in a row since a 65-64 loss to Curie.

"So far everything has gone right for us," Scott Miller said, "and knock on wood we hope that continues."

The same can't be said for Jacobs, the state's winningest Class 4A program the last three years. It has been decimated by injuries and off-court issues since the summer.

The Golden Eagles lost leading scorer and junior Nick Hofman to season-ending knee surgery. Senior Sean Meyer missed the last two games with a concussion and had a doctor's visit Thursday to determine if he could play against Glenbard East.

At a news conference for the event this week, Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle joked about helping Meyer get healthy in time.

"We put him in a little dark room where we keep the balls and asked him to stay in there and hope that helps out," said Hinkle, whose team beat Schaumburg in last year's event.

"This year a goal of ours is to prove we belong in this game. It's a great atmosphere and a great challenge to play the best team in the suburban area."

Said Meyer: "A lot of guys are very anxious to play in this game.

Plagued by early season suspensions and midseason injuries, Jacobs is averaging 55.5 points per game and allowing 60.1.

Neuqua hopes to regain that status and has an eight-game winning streak after Thursday's Upstate Eight Conference win over Bartlett.

"Since the loss at the Elgin tournament the entire team has taken the season a little more seriously," said St. Louis-bound Neuqua star Dwayne Evans. "We were a little too overconfident at the beginning of the season."

The Wildcats can't look that way at West Aurora's record since it started 1-7 against a rugged schedule which included Rock Island, Peoria Richwoods, Bogan and Waukegan.

The only loss in the last seven games for the Blackhawks, led by 6-4 sophomore Juwan Starks, was to Glenbard East last Friday. They rebounded to beat East Aurora on Saturday even though leading scorer Derrick Johnson was dismissed from the team.

"If you can't get ready for West you can't get ready for anybody," said Neuqua coach Todd Sutton.

Aurora Central Catholic and Marmion won't have any trouble in that regard in a series ACC leads 34-33.

"It's always a fun game to play in when the crowd is going nuts against each other," ACC coach Nate Drye said of a rivalry which traditionally plays to packed houses.

Tickets for the event are $12 for adults and $10 for students 18 and under and can be purchased at the Sears Centre.

Jerry Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.