Yorkville coach John Holakovsky knew the questions were coming. Fortunately for the Foxes, junior forward Bryce Salek provided some much-needed answers.
With Monday morning’s assignment against Huntley looming at Geneva’s Martin Luther King Day of Hoops, Holakovsky was left pondering his team’s always-crucial post play.
“We play so much through our bigs,” Holakovsky said of Jason Jakstys and LeBaron Lee Jr. “When we don’t have both of them out there, it just runs a little more awkward.”
Thank goodness then for Salek.
The 6-foot-4 reserve didn’t enter the game until Yorkville had already spotted Huntley a 10-0 lead, but he sparked the Foxes to a 45-38 come-from-behind victory.
Salek tied teammate Jory Boley with a game-high 13 points and also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for Yorkville (18-3), which won its eighth straight.
Before the game, the status of Jakstys was very much in question. The 6-10 junior forward was hoping to come back from an ankle injury suffered last week at Romeoville.
Lee, a 6-5 senior and Illinois State baseball recruit, had been given the OK by Holakovsky to participate in a showcase working in Lockport, pitching for a Texas Rangers’ scout.
Salek, one of nine juniors who played Monday for Yorkville, picked up the slack.
“I come off the bench and kind of like that,” Salek said. “It allows me to be like a shooter. People notice me bring some energy when we start to get down.
“I play like a slasher. I can shoot, I can drive and I play a 3-4 position.”
Yorkville ended the first quarter with a 9-0 run that included five points from Salek in the final 2:37 to pull within one point of Huntley (14-5).
“With (Jakstys and Lee) being out, I’ve had to step up,” Salek said. “We’re a little short on players and short on height. It allows me to bring some height into the game.”
Jakstys was injured early in a Jan. 10 win over Romeoville and didn’t return in that game. Salek scored 12 points off the bench that night.
In the end, Jakstys saw limited duty off the bench against Huntley. He had two points.
“Jason hadn’t done anything on the court since Romeoville,” Holakovsky said.
When Jakstys executed a reverse dunk in warm-ups, Holakovsky decided to work his big man back into the lineup.
“It’s been getting stronger and I played him like two or three minutes at a time,” Holakovsky said. “I tried to be conservative with it. We have Joliet West on Friday and we’re having a big season here.”
Yorkville hasn’t had a 20-win season since going 20-8 in 2011-12.
The Foxes rallied from 22 points down Saturday in the third quarter to beat Kaneland 70-67. Lee led the way with 32 points. Salek was big in that one, too.
“Bryce came in and got a big offensive rebound over someone and scored and had one-and-one free throw, followed by LeBaron with a steal, two-handed dunk and free throw,” Holakovsky said. “That got us going against Kaneland.”
Yorkville finally took its first lead of the game Monday at 31-30 in the opening minute of the fourth on a free throw from junior forward Caleb Fisher, who finished with seven points off the bench.
Boley’s drive down the lane for a layup moments later gave the Foxes the lead for good.
“Coming from behind seems to be a habit with us,” Salek said. “I don’t know why. In the second half, we definitely pick it up and play like we’re not going to lose.”
His coach gave credit to Salek for that — again.
“Every time Bryce goes in, we need those energy points and hustle plays,” Holakovsky said. “That’s what he does for us.”