Last weekend, the JHS boys’ basketball team improved their record to 5-1 (1-0 in the CS8) by beating Lincoln in a fantastic fashion and for the first time in 11 years on their home court.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine something with me: the Crimson starting five have already been called and it is now Lincoln’s turn to take the floor. The lights have already been turned off and a spotlight appears, shining on the spot where the players will materialize.
They call the first name over the speakers.
“5-9 senior, Will Podbelsek!”
The crowd goes insane. This cycle is only to be repeated four more times as the rest of the starters ran from the tunnel with the crowd intensifying every time. This is the type of crowd Jacksonville played against all night. From cheers exclaiming “Overrated!” and “Crybaby Crimsons!” to cheers of hope, the Crimsons played through all kinds of adversity.
“It’s a really intense atmosphere,” explained senior Josh Peak. “They really love basketball, and the students really get into the games.”
Though the Crimsons went into halftime down ten points—after having as much as an eight point lead at one point in the second quarter—they never doubted that they would win the game.
“He kind of scared me, but it got us going and we came out in the second half with a fire,” Andrew Jackson said of Dugan’s halftime speech. “We played like we were capable of playing.”
After allowing only eight points in the second half (none at all in the fourth quarter), the game went into overtime play. Four minutes was put on the clock and the two teams went back into battle.
After a Lincoln three point field goal from Tyler Horchem, Josh Peak drove to the basket for the point and a free-throw which tied the game back at 44. It came down to a final inbound play for the Crimsons.
With 2.6 seconds left on the clock, Jackson fired the ball into the lane. Josh Peak mistakenly jumped up to grab the pass—a pass Jackson swears was intended for Hance—which slid through his hands and into the safety of Blake Hance’s hands.
Hance turned and shot the ball as time expired, putting the Crimsons in the winner’s circle for the fifth time this season.
“It was so exciting to win like that at Lincoln,” Hance explained. “Before I knew it, the whole bench ran out on the court to celebrate.”
The Crimsons play this Friday against Chatham Glenwood in hopes of improving their standing in the conference. The game begins at 7 pm.