John Holakovsky’s ailing, raspy voice already made communication difficult Monday when things started to go downhill fast.
It left the Yorkville coach grasping to find something good for what ailed the Foxes, who were struggling during a lull in the second quarter.
Holakovsky found it in their game against Stevenson at Geneva’s Martin Luther King Day of Hoops, turning to his very own Johnson & Johnson.
Not the health care company — senior guards Dayvion and Kaevian Johnson, who are cousins, stepped up.
“We hadn’t played in 10 days and it looked like it,” Holakovsky said. “Offensively, we weren’t in sync. The ball wasn’t moving the way we want it to.”
Illinois recruit Jason Jakstys, a 6-foot-11 senior forward, had gone to the bench with his third foul early in that quarter as the Patriots extended their lead to a game-high 10 points at 22-12.
Johnson & Johnson responded, however, sparking a surge that kept the Foxes within reach until the final 1.9 seconds of an eventual 47-45 setback.
“Dayvion and Kaevian, they just play really hard,” Holakovsky said. “Their defensive pressure and energy, well, you saw Kaevian with several offensive rebounds.
“That’s the kind of stuff we need. Those two are big for us.”
Dayvion Johnson got it rolling with five straight points on a pair of free throws, then grabbing a defensive rebound and taking the ball coast-to-coast for a layup and free throw after being fouled.
Kaevian Johnson followed by gathering a tip pass from senior forward Bryce Salek and making a 3-pointer to complete the 8-0 run for the Foxes (9-8).
Senior forward Jory Boley was fouled on his 3-point attempt in the final two seconds with Yorkville trailing 47-44. He made the first and missed the second after a timeout by Stevenson (13-5).
It forced him to intentionally miss the third free throw, but the Foxes couldn’t get the rebound.
“Dayvion is a little bit more of a true point guard, where he handles the team a little bit more,” Holakovsky said. “Kaevian is a little bit more aggressive and looks to score a little more.”
Growing up together, the cousins remember going one-on-one at basketball playing in an uncle’s driveway.
Who had the upper hand?
“I feel like me,” Dayvion said.
“I think it was me,” Kaevian countered.
Asked to play scout, Dayvion described himself as “quick guard, can shoot. Fast release. Doesn’t really look to score but facilitates at a good level.”
His cousin Kaevian?
“A defensive player,” Dayvion said. “Real quick. Strong. Aggressive. Can get to the rim at will and can shoot midranges and 3-ball.”
Actually, there’s not a lot of difference between them, according to Dayvion.
“We can both facilitate,” he said. “We can both play defense. We can both contribute to the team. But it’s just like he’s the two, I’m the one. I bring up the ball and he’s next to me, but he can bring up the ball as well.
“I feel like I’m a facilitator. I look for the key pieces to our team like Jason, Bryce and Jory. I’m just looking to find them and run plays for them and score if I’m able to score.”
Holakovsky said the cousins usually defend the top two perimeter players from the opposition.
“Since we were young, we’ve always been fast and started practicing defense,” Kaevian said. “Now, it’s like natural. Just be quick on the floor.”
While both are listed at 5-11, Kaevian said that Dayvion, “He’s taller, I’m stronger.”
“He’s wants to lift every day,” Dayvion said of Kaevian.
Their rivalry extends to video games, where Kaevian confirmed Dayvion has a slight edge.
The layoff for the Foxes, forced by two weather postponements, hasn’t helped.
“I just feel like we’re almost there,” Dayvion said. “We were getting there, coming a long way from the slow start to the season, but now we’re veering off, not having school, not having games.
“We’re just not in a groove right now.”