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Struthers’ Jacubec dazzles at Howland
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Howland’s Chris Maze goes for two points past Struthers’ Jake Jacubec, left, and Dylan Schmidt during first half action Tuesday at Howland.
By Jon Moffett
HOWLAND
There were times during Tuesday’s boys basketball game where Howland High coach Bill Brogan caught himself watching in awe at the plays Jake Jacubec was making.
Problem is, Jacubec plays for rival Struthers and was on the opposite side of the court for Brogan.
Still, at times Brogan was just like the fans packed into the Howland High gymnasium for the All-American Conference’s American Division grudge match.
“He’s very good with the ball off the bounce, he shoots the lights out and his basketball IQ is through the roof. He’s a very fun player to watch,” Brogan said about Jacubec before pausing. “That is, if he’s not putting points up on the board against you.”
Jacubec and the Wildcats (7-3, 4-0) did just that, with the star point guard putting up a game-high 29 points in a 73-62 victory over the Tigers (5-3, 3-1).
Jacubec, a junior, had 20 points in the first half and almost single-handedly put the Tigers on their heels early.
The Wildcats were able to break the press and find Jacubec open for three — he had three treys — and used isolation to find him cutting underneath the basket.
Brogan admitted it’s more of a headache to plan around the Struthers standout than many other of his peers.
The Tigers were a different team in the second half. After trailing by 35-34 at halftime, thanks to a 3-pointer by Jacubec as time expired, Howland used more double-teams on Jacubec to force him into pass. The only problem is Jacubec is a pretty good passer, too.
With the centerpiece of the offense for the most part in check, the Wildcats found more creative ways for Jacubec to fill up the stat sheet. He became a distributor in the second half, allowing three other teammates to score in double figures with a handful of assists.
Jordan Sapp became the de facto shooter and drained three treys. Dylan Schmidt did a lot of the dirty work, cleaning up missed shots en route to 15 points.
And Austin Grewe (10) and Tommy Kimborough proved to be effective weapons at the free-throw line, combining to go 9-of-13.
With the Wildcats pulling away, it put more pressure on a Howland team already missing a key component.
With just more than a minute to play in the third quarter, Howland guard Kenny Pozega twisted his ankle and was forced to leave the game. He would not return.
“Kenny is our defensive spark plug; he’s our lock-down guy,” Brogan said. “He creates a lot of havoc up top and makes everybody better on the defensive end.”
Jacubec certainly didn’t mind a little more room to roam.
The Tigers appeared to settle for the first shot rather than the best shot as the fourth quarter began. Struthers coach Joe Savko likened it to a football game where one team is up big.
“When you put it in the hoop a little bit, then they feel like they’ve got to put it in the hoop in a hurry to get back in the game,” Savko said. “It’s like if you’re up two or three touchdowns, your opponent thinks they have to pass the ball every possession. And that’s what we try to do.”