Last Friday night, the Jacksonville boy’s basketball team faced off against visiting Sacred Heart-Griffin in what ended up being a close and exciting game. Since the Crimsons were leading in the first quarter and at half (21-17), things were looking good for the boys. But despite being ahead during the first half, the team couldn’t pull off enough to defeat the Cyclones, who came out from halftime ready to grab a victory. The Cyclones scored 19 points to Jacksonville’s 15 and the teams ended the third quarter tied at 36-36.
Senior Natalie Flynn said, “The most exciting moment of the game was when Blake Hance scored a 3 pointer at the buzzer to tie the game 36-36.”
In the fourth quarter, it could have been any team’s game, but SHG outscored Jacksonville 25-22 despite the Crimson’s efforts to bounce back. The Jacksonville boys fell just short of victory, losing 61-58.
When asked what the team could do differently if they played SHG again, Senior Payton Dugan said, “We should get out to a better start.”
Sacred Heart-Griffin improved their record to 12-3, 5-1 while Jacksonville’s fell to 10-5, 3-2. Senior Josh Peak scored the game-high 18 points for Jacksonville, while junior Blake Hance scored another 13 and added 9 rebounds. Senior Dalton Keene also had 7 points and a pair of 3 pointers.
The Jacksonville Crimsons then went to Quincy for a game against Quincy Notre Dame on Saturday, January 12.