Caleb Jett, McHenry hold off Jacobs

McHENRY – McHenry’s basketball team needed Caleb Jett back.

The old Caleb Jett. The Caleb Jett who basically carried the Warriors for about a month with their leading scorer and rebounder out injured. The Caleb Jett who attacked at the offensive end, disrupted opponents with his defense and sank shots in critical moments.

Wednesday night, McHenry got Caleb Jett back.

And just in time.

The veteran guard’s aggressiveness helped spark the Warriors early in their Class 4A McHenry Regional semifinal against Jacobs. Then with the game tight in the fourth quarter, the senior delivered a go-ahead 3-pointer, helping McHenry prevail 46-39.

Jett scored a game-high 20 points – his first 20-point effort since a 27-point game against Burlington Central on Feb. 4 – grabbed nine rebounds and collected three steals.

His effort helped third-seeded McHenry (26-6) earn a berth in Friday’s 7 p.m. final against No. 2 Warren (22-10), which beat No. 7 Grant 64-40 in Wednesday’s first semifinal.

McHenry beat Jacobs by 12 and 10 points during Fox Valley Conference play.

Adam Anwar added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Warriors in his fourth game since missing 12 in a row with a broken wrist. During a nine-game stretch while Anwar was out, Jett averaged 22.3 points. He had scored only 39 points, however, in McHenry’s last five games (7.8 ppg) and had scored in single digits in three straight.

Admittedly, he wasn’t the same player.

“With Adam coming back, I kind of thought my role was going to change,” Jett said. “The coaches made me realize that that didn’t have to be the case and that I could keep being aggressive. I lost my confidence a little bit. Not because of Adam coming back, but knowing that we got to get him the ball. I was thinking as myself as a second option. I didn’t have that score-first mentality.”

He did against Jacobs. Jett drew a foul on McHenry’s first possession, sinking both free throws. Anwar followed with a 3-pointer and a putback of his own miss, and the Warriors were off and running with a 7-0 lead.

No. 5 Jacobs (16-16) fought back.

Marko Stojich, who was McHenry’s hero in its FVC-clinching win over Huntley last week with nine four quarter points, scored on the baseline with 2:05 left before halftime to put the Warriors up 25-15. But Ben Jurzak’s 3-pointer and three-point play were part of a 9-0 run to draw the Golden Eagles within 25-24 at the break.

Jurzak finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

“We had four days of practice to prep for a team that we’re already pretty familiar with, so we were ready to go,” Jurzak said. “I think we did we good job. We just didn’t come out on top.”

Emaan Thomas led Jacobs with 14 points, and his two free throws with 3:56 left in the fourth tied the score at 37. After Anwar and Nolan Roper (six points) traded baskets, Jett drained his second 3 of the quarter, snapping a tie with 2:18 left.

Jett, who had 13 points at halftime, shot 4-of-7 from 3-point range.

“I’m so happy for him,” Anwar said. “I’m happy for all of our teammates. Everyone stepped up today. I told Caleb before the game that this is his senior year, and this is his last chance to prove a lot about himself. He came out and he understood that, and he played really hard. I’m super proud of him.”

Dylan Hurckes fed a wide-open Stojich (four points) for a layup with 1:02 to go to extend McHenry’s lead to 44-39, and the Warriors survived, despite missing three free throws down the stretch.

“In moments like that, we’re all together,” Jett said. “We’re all like family. We’ve been playing together since we were young, and that’s what got us over this hump today. And we played really well.”

Jacobs junior twins Connor and Carson Goehring combined for 10 points, 16 rebounds and three steals. Carson (six points) came off the bench to grab 12 boards, including half on the offensive glass.

“The twins are battlers, man,” Eagles coach Jimmy Roberts said. “They play so hard. They’re fun to have.”

Roberts was proud of his entire team, which played its fourth game in a row without starting forward and leading rebounder Samson Averehi (stress fracture in his foot).

“Our kids played hard,” Roberts said. “Pretty fun game, fun atmosphere, fun environment.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/2025/02/27/caleb-jett-mchenry-hold-off-jacobs/