Red Raiders stun Golden Eagles in semis

CARPENTERSVILLE -- With every missed shot in the second half by Jacobs on Wednesday -- and there were far too many -- the pressure mounted.

The Golden Eagles went through a stretch from the start of the second half to midway through the fourth quarter where they made just 1 of 14 shots from the field. It opened a window of opportunity for third-seeded Huntley to crawl through and pull off a 59-52 upset in a semifinal of the Dundee-Crown Class 4A Regional.

Zac Boster scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Red Raiders (15-12), who advance to play the top-seeded and host Chargers (20-5) in Friday's regional final.

Huntley had a steady shooting hand all night, connecting on 22 of 44 shots (50 percent).

"The game is a lot easier when you make your shots," Huntley coach Marty Manning said. "We knew we had to be patient to have a chance against a team like Jacobs. I thought we did a real good of moving the basketball, executing the offense and finding the open shots."

The game was deadlocked 32-32 at the break. A 3-pointer by Tim Moran gave second-seeded Jacobs (23-4) a 37-35 lead with 3:52 left in the third quarter. However, the Golden Eagles missed their next seven shots from the field as the Red Raiders went on a 10-0 run to pull ahead 45-37 with just over five minutes left to play.

Dylan Neukirch opened the run with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 37. Moments later, Neukirch hit a short jumper to put the Red Raiders up for good 39-37.

"I don't have an answer for it," Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle said. "For whatever reason, shots we hit all year we just couldn't hit tonight. We picked a bad time not to be able to put the ball in the basket. I commend Huntley for playing a great game. They deserved to win."

Jacobs finally got back on track midway through the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3's by Moran and Nick Hofman pulled the Eagles to within 45-44 with 3:15 left to play.

However, Boster countered for Huntley with a pair of 3-pointers of his own the next two trips down the floor to keep Huntley ahead 51-46.

"We felt all along we could win this game," Boster said. "It was just a matter of hitting our shots.

"My teammates did a great job of getting me some open looks. I'm just grateful I was able to make them when it counted."

Jacobs, which defeated Huntley 56-33 in mid-December, made one last run in the final minute. Patton Hofer had a steal and layup, followed by a pair of free throws from Conrad Krutwig which pulled the Eagles to within 54-52 with 49 seconds left.

But Jacobs missed its final three shots down the stretch, including a 3-point try by Mike Barch that would have tied the game with just under 30 seconds remaining.

Meanwhile, Huntley hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

Krutwig led Jacobs with 15 points, Moran finished with seven. The two seniors that have played on the varsity team since their freshman year have led Jacobs to a 94-19 record over the last four years.

"They have been what I call a part of the golden era of Eagles basketball," Hinkle said. "They've had tremendous careers here at Jacobs. It's just too bad it had to end on a sad note."

Mike Peterson scored 12 points for Jacobs.

Huntley got 13 points from Jordan Neukirch.

BOX SCORE

HUNTLEY 59, JACOBS 52 

Huntley (15-12) Petit 1 0-0 2, J. Neukirch 6 0-0 13, DePorter 2 0-0 4, Gonzaga 1 0-0 2, Boster 7 4-4 21, Brunschon 3 0-1 8, D. Neukirch 2 5-6 9. Totals 22 9-11 59. Jacobs (23-4) Peterson 4 3-7 12, Hofer 2 0-0 5, Moran 2 1-2 7, Barch 4 0-0 9, Krutwig 5 5-6 15, Hofman 1 1-2 4. Totals 18 10-17 52. Huntley 15 17 11 16 -- 59 Jacobs  15 17  5  15 -- 52 3-Point Goals -- HUN (6): Boster 3, J. Neukirch, Brunschon 2. JAC (6): Moran 2, Barch, Hofman, Hofer, Peterson. Fouled Out -- HUN: DePorter.