Nik Balkcom and Jacobs’ other guards like overplaying opponents defensively because 6-foot-9 Cameron Krutwig is back protecting the basket.
Krutwig aside, Balkcom is a defensive force in his own right.
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Led by Balkcom, Jacobs’ defense smothered Crystal Lake South over the final three quarters Saturday in a 66-33 Fox Valley victory.
“Coach says to go for the steals, gamble if we can,” Balkcom said. “We’ve got a big man back there protecting the rim for us.
“It takes stress off us knowing he’s back there.”
Balkcom, a 6-foot-2 senior, scored just six points for Jacobs (13-0, 4-0). But he had four steals and helped cause several other turnovers in a total of 23 the Gators (5-10, 1-3) committed.
“He’s had some great games with nothing to show for it in a box score,” Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts said. “But he knows what he does for us. Our entire group knows what he does for us. He does so many little things that are actually huge things.
“He finished a couple times going to the rim, knocked down a shot and made a couple great finds for assists. Probably the best thing he does for us is defensively he just hounds the other team’s point guard.”
Jacobs had 16 points and 11 rebounds from Krutwig, its Loyola recruit. And Kameron Mack came off the bench for 11 points.
But it was defense that made Jacobs’ 25th straight regular-season Fox Valley victory a rout.
South came out hitting 3-pointers like layups and briefly led by four. Four of its five first-quarter field goals were 3-pointers. Then Jacobs’ defense took control.
“They made some shots and similarly we responded pretty well,” Roberts said. “We cranked up the pressure.”
After South’s early barrage, Krutwig made two free throws and a layup. Mack a 3-pointer and Balkcom a fast break layup off a turnover for a 17-14 Jacobs lead.
The rout had begun.
The Gators scored just 15 points during the second and third quarters, and fell behind 52-29.
Guard Cooper Schwartz had three assists, three steals and five points for Jacobs, while reserve guard Ajani Rodriguez had five points and two steals.
“When we sort of got that energy going, it was contagious,” Schwartz said. “It spread to all of us.
“It starts on the defensive end and once you get those steals, those fast break layups, it just becomes a lot easier to extend that lead.”
South had 10 points from Matthew Meyers and Luke Nolan.
“When they came out making shots, it kind of made it a little exciting for us,” Balkcom said. “We get more pumped up when the other team gets like that because we want to come right back and bring you back down again.”
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