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Cary-Grove wins 20th in hard-fought battle at Burlington C.

Of all the exotic defenses Cary-Grove has seen, few have been as effective as what Bulington Central unveiled Friday night.

The Rockets had a player hounding C-G guard Beau Frericks everywhere, with others looming whenever he touched the ball to make him give it right back.

The same went for the Trojans' 6-foot-8 Frank Jakubicek inside.

"We tried some things I've never done in 11 years," Burlington coach Brett Porto said. "We did it pretty well. It frustrated Beau for a while. We had two guys locked onto (Frericks) and (Jakubicek), one guy in man on (Ryan Weaver) and two guys in a zone. I don't know what you call that."

C-G prevailed behind its own strong man-to-man defense and a solid fourth quarter for a 47-32 victory in Fox Valley Conference boys basketball action, the Trojans' eight consecutive win.

"It didn't seem like a 15-point win," Trojans coach Adam McCloud said. "They were never out of it because of the way they defend. We just needed to string together a couple of possessions with some good shots and were able to do that. Our guys kept their heads down, they believe they can beat everybody."

C-G (20-2, 10-0 FVC) was led by Jakubicek and Clark Cunningham, both with 14 points. Frericks scored 10, 11 less than his season average. He hit one 3-pointer and scored six of his points in the fourth quarter.

"Whenever we had the ball, they double- and triple-teamed me, so I had to pass out of it," Frericks said. "I was OK with it because when they do that, we have open guys and I trust guys to make plays."

Guys like Cunningham, who hit two 3s in the first quarter and scored 10 points in the first half.

"They were giving me wide-open looks because they were double-teaming Beau and triple-teaming Frank in the paint," Cunningham said. "I was knocking down the shots they gave me."

Still, baskets were a struggle for both teams. McCloud lauded the Trojans' effort in their man-to-man defense, which limited the Rockets (14-8, 5-5) to 12 of 35 field-goal shooting.

"If we have Frank in the middle, he can alter so many shots, and our four other guys can guard the perimeter as well as any team in the league," McCloud said. "It was playing our assignments, keeping Frank low and keeping pressure on the perimeter."

C-G led, 31-25, after three quarters and had only pushed that margin to 37-29 heading into the final 2 minutes. The Trojans hit their final eight free throws to widen the gap.

"They did their normal game plan and that's what they're good at," Porto said. "Ball pressure and get up on you. They challenge a lot of shots, they give you nothing easy."

The same could be said of the Rockets. Josh Hudgens hit two 3s and led Burlington with eight points, Jake Lenschow added seven.

"It ended up being 15, but we made Cary earn it tonight," Porto said.

Cary-Grove forward/center Frank Jakubicek (33) layups the ball in the fourth quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Cary-Grove won, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Cary-Grove guard Clark Cunningham (4) layups the ball in the first quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Cary-Grove won, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Cary-Grove guard Ryan Weaver (21) calls a play in the first quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Cary-Grove won, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Cary-Grove guard Ryan Weaver (21) secures a rebound in the second quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Cary-Grove won, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Cary-Grove forward/center Frank Jakubicek (33) layups the ball in the first quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Cary-Grove won, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Burlington Central head coach Brett Porto speaks to players during a timeout in the first quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Burlington Central lost, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Burlington-Central forward Jake Lenschow (22) shoots the ball over Cary-Grove guard Ryan Weaver (21) in the second quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Burlington Central lost, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Burlington-Central forward Jake Lenschow (22) secures a rebound in the third quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Burlington Central lost, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Burlington-Central guard Joshua Hudgens (20) passes the ball out in the third quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Burlington Central lost, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
Cary-Grove head coach Adam McCloud gives directions in the third quarter of the game at Burlington Central High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Hampshire, Ill. Cary-Grove won, 47-32. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media Illinois
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