Barrington Boys' Basketball Scores Win Over Jacobs

Barrington traveled to Jacobs High School on Tuesday, Dec. 14 and played a non-conference game against the Golden Eagles.  Barrington(6-3) was looking to end the Fox Valley Conference leading Golden Eagles' three game winning streak while adding another quality win to their resume after defeating MSL-W divisional foe Palatine over the weekend. 

Jacobs (3-2) had a dominate performance to start the game as senior guard Nick Hofman's red hot shooting had him scoring 10 points in the first few minutes of the game, and gave the Golden Eagles a quick 16-8 lead.  Hofman ended the night with 10 points. 

It appeared that the Broncos were having very little success early on stopping the streaking Hofman and may have never had an answer for him this night.  But it was not the Broncos who managed to stop the guard, or even foul trouble that saw Hofman head to the bench early in the first quarter, rather it was an injury. 

While helping orchestrate an inbounds set play, Hofman injured his left knee that saw him limping to the bench, and then saw Jacobs limping through the rest of the half.

"When they lose their leading scorer that changes the game a bit," Barrington's coach Bryan Tucker said of the first quarter struggles by the Broncos.  "But I also thought we started doing things better.  We were able to create some offense off the defense and got rolling from there."

In a game of offensive runs, the consistently physical Broncos' senior guard Greg Garrard sparked Barrington's first real scoring streak.  The Bronco's 7-0 run to end the quarter pulled them to within one at 16-15.  Gerrard ended the night with 10 points.

With the Golden Eagles offense sputtering, thanks to a pressured Bronco defense and the hot shooting of Jacobs' Hofman on the bench injured, Barrington started the second quarter with a similar run that they ended the first with.

Barrington's junior forward John Schneider kicked of their 7-2 run to give the Broncos their first lead since the games first point.  Schneider ended the game with 10 points and was one of three Barrington players that ended the game in double figures.

"I think (Barrington's) defense is what caused our sputtering offense," long time Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle said of what caused the scoring woes his team faced during a 14-2 run by the Broncos.  "We weren't as physical as they were.  I think they did a better job on the boards and they were able to adjust to our defense and we didn't adjust as well."

While down 22-18, Jacobs was able to come to grips with their loss of their point quard and began to buckle down defensively, ending the half on a small run that saw Barrington with a slimmest of leads at 28-27.

But the Eagles were not the only ones with a key player out due to injury, as Gerrard went down with a low ankle sprain midway through the third.  He attempted to get back on the court but inevitably spent the remainder of the game on the bench.

Barrington's junior guard Tyler Weathered was one of the Broncos that stepped up to fill the void left by Gerrard who went down.  Weathered's nine points helped the Broncos regain the lead during a fight for points in a fast paced third quarter that saw Barrington push the lead to 46-41 to end the frame.

A gingerly walking Gerrard said after the game that he should be ready for the Broncos next game.

"(Gerrard) is a tough kid, he's a gamer," Tucker said of his injured team leader.  "It's a big game against Conant and he'll be ready."

Jacobs made a strong run at the Broncos to start the fourth quarter but was never able to get the Bronco lead under three points.  The physical play of junior center Alex Glover helped keep the game within reach.  Glover ended with a team high 14 points.

But Barrington's stellar rebounding (allowing only four offensive rebounds for Jacobs all game) helped to keep the ball out of the Golden Eagles' shooters' hands during the final quarter. 

"We know to be competitive we have to own the boards and I've been pleased lately," Tucker said.  "We only gave up four offensive rebounds all game and when you combine that with the last game I'm very pleased."

The Broncos rebounding, combined with the successful and long offensive series to drain the clock, were being led offensively by Mark Bennett.  Bennett's eight points during the frame essentially ended all hopes for a dramatic Jacobs comeback and sealed a Barringtonvictory at 61-53.  Bennett ended the night with a game high 15 points.

"We're basically playing first place teams twice in a row," Bennett said referring to the win over Jacobs and the upcoming game against MSL-W leading Conant.  

"Obviously every league game is big when you only play 10 of them," Tucker said of the Broncos upcoming game.  "You  have to take care of business on the road and when you play a first place team.  Right now we're sitting here looking up at Conant." 

Before kicking off the tough Jacobs Tourney over the weekend, Barrington will play against MSL W Conference leading Conant at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17. This important early season divisional away game against Conant highlights a series of crucial tough upcoming games for the Broncos.