High school boys basketball: Cary-Grove inches closer to defending Hinkle crown with win over Barrington

ALGONQUIN – Beau Frericks hit a 3-pointer on Cary-Grove’s first shot, only 20 seconds into its game against Barrington.

Frank Jakubicek nailed a 3 from the left corner on the Trojans’ next possession.

It was clear that the defending Hinkle Holiday Classic champions were leaving nothing to chance.

C-G jumped out quickly and maintained control all the way for a 69-57 victory in Pool II Thursday at Jacobs’ Eagles’ Nest, earning its way into the championship bracket. The Trojans (11-1, 3-0 Pool II) will meet Jefferson (11-2) at 6 p.m. Friday in the first semifinal.

“It feels good. [Making the championship bracket] was our initial goal,” said Frericks, who hit six 3s and scored a game-high 24 points. “We wanted to get here, and we’d be upset with anything less. We like this gym. We moved the ball well and made a lot of good shots. When you do that, it’s nice.”

Barrington (9-2) plays Crystal Lake South (6-7) at 3 p.m. Friday in a Consolation A bracket game.

“As defending champs, we had something to prove,” Jakubicek said. “We had them scouted pretty good. It was just drive. Being defending champions, you have a target on your back. We knew everyone was going to be playing us tough. We tried to come out hot and keep going.”

The defense helped keep the Broncos at bay. C-G forced 13 first-half turnovers and led, 37-22, at halftime. The lead never fell to less than 11 points in the second half.

“Our guys are tough, they’re fast, and they want the moment,” Trojans coach Adam McCloud said. “They want to be back where they were last year. Now we get Rockford Jefferson, who’s the only team that beat us here last year, so we’re hoping for a little redemption.”

Frericks hit five 3s in the first half. Jakubicek finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and three dunks. Forward Ryan Weaver added 14 points, and sophomore guard Mikey Clarke came off the bench with eight points.

Barrington was led by Dylan Keenan with 16 points. Aaron Sarkar and Damian Zivak each scored 13.

“I don’t know if two days off was part of the issue,” Broncos coach Bryan Tucker said. “They play really good defense, and maybe it was a combination of those two things. We were really bad with the basketball; we were putting out a lot of energy at the end of the floor, too. It was tough. We didn’t handle the ball very well, and they have a lot of talent on the floor.”

McCloud said his players shot on the morning of Christmas Eve and again Thursday morning, then had a walkthrough at the high school before coming to Jacobs. They obviously were ready to go.

“I’m just proud of our guys,” he said. “They just want to keep winning. They’re 11-1 and don’t want to stop. It’s a good feeling.”

STAR OF THE GAME

Beau Frericks

Cary-Grove, sr., G

Frericks hit six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points, 17 in the first half, as the Trojans beat Barrington.

THE NUMBER

3

Dunks for C-G's 6-foot-8 Frank Jakubicek.

AND ANOTHER THING

Jakubicek signed with NCAA Division I Belmont to play next season. Former Belmont player Amanze Egekeze, a 2014 Huntley graduate, attended the game and was impressed with Jakubicek's play. They spoke for a couple minutes after the game.

Cary-Grove 69, Barrington 57

CARY-GROVE (69)

Frericks 7 4-4 24, Cunningham 1 2-2 4, Weaver 5 3-5 14, Jakubicek 8 0-0 17, Szydlo 1 0-0 2, Clarke 2 4-4 8, Beaugureau 0 0-0 0, O’Hara 0 0-0 0, Talkington 0 0-0 0, Mosack 0 0-0 0, Berghoff 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 13-15 69.

BARRINGTON (57)

Groom 0 0-0 0, Sarkar 5 2-2 13, Zivak 5 2-2 13, D. Keenan 8 0-0 16, C. Keenan 1 2-4 5, Grudzinski 3 0-0 9, Bulgarelli 0 1-2 1, Boldt 0 0-0 0, Kibby 0 0-0 0, Loomis 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 7-10 57.

Cary-Grove 15 22 17 15 – 69

Barrington 10 12 17 18 – 57

3-point goals: Cary-Grove 8 (Frericks 6, Weaver, Jakubicek), Barrington 6 (Grudzinski 3, Sarkar, Zivak, C. Keenan). Total fouls: Cary-Grove 17, Barrington 15.