Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 11 more assists than your opponent, a fact the Jacobs Golden Eagles proved on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Crystal Lake Central with a sharp 64-44 win. Given Jacobs' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 255th, while Crystal Lake Central is ranked 553rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Treval Howard continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 26 points along with five rebounds and five steals. Those five steals set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Nolan Roper, who scored ten points.
When it comes to explaining why Crystal Lake Central lost, one person who can't be blamed is Preston Mast. Despite the final result, he scored 21 points along with five rebounds. Jake Terlecki was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
The win makes it two in a row for Jacobs and bumps their season record up to 8-9. As for Crystal Lake Central, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-14 record this season.
Jacobs' homestand continues as they prepare to take on Crystal Lake South at 7:30 p.m. on January 12th. Crystal Lake South is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road. Crystal Lake Central won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Dundee-Crown at 7:00 p.m. on January 11th.
