LUCAS, Ohio — Joe Jakubick’s halftime address was as brief as it was candid.
State-ranked St. Peter’s had sleep-walked through the first two quarters of its Mid-Buckeye Conference showdown at Lucas and Jakubick was underwhelmed by his team’s effort.
“It was intense,” junior point guard Tyson Kent of Jakubick’s locker room conversation. “He wasn’t happy with our effort and he made sure we knew.”
The message was well received as the Spartans quickly erased a three-point halftime deficit and rumbled to a 57-40 win at the Cub Cave.
St. Peter’s (12-2, 5-1) ran its winning streak to 10 games.
“It was, ‘You better show up and start playing,’ ” Jakubick said of his animated halftime chalk talk. “I’m not taking anything away from Lucas. Those kids played hard. From my perspective, we were going through the motions.
“We were playing with no intensity. We were playing with no heart. … It was embarrassing and I told them that in no uncertain terms.”
Third Quarter Charge: The Spartans outscored the Cubs (3-8, 1-5) 22-7 in the third quarter. Sophomore Jared Jakubick hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the period and St. Peter’s never trailed again.
“Our first possession Jared hit a 3 and … I think it just gave us a spark,” Jakubick said. “Jared and Mason (Campbell) hit some big perimeter shots and it just sort of set the tone.”
Pushing the Tempo: The Spartans got their transition game in gear in the third, as well. Kent and Kyle Osgar both had run-out layups as St. Peter’s built a 42-30 lead.
“We knew we had to come out and play hard,” Kent said. “We want to play a fast pace and get in transition. That was the key.”
Jared Jakubick led the Spartans with 15 points, all in the second half. Kent and Campbell each had 12.
Patience: The Cubs trailed 14-11 after the first quarter but outscored the Spartans 12-6 in the second to take a 23-20 halftime lead.
“We’ve been working on … being strong with the ball and not making mistakes,” Lucas coach Taylor Iceman said. “We did a great job of that in the first half.
“To start the second half, they came out and hit a couple of shots and I think we started rushing a little bit. … We kind of fell into their game. They played a lot better in the second half, too.”
Brian Sauder led the Cubs with 11 points. Jackson Hauger had nine, while Jeb Grover added eight.
State Rankings: The Spartans were ranked 14th in Division IV in this week’s Associated Press state poll.
“It’s very exciting, but we don’t pay much attention to the state rankings,” Kent said. “Our goal isn’t to be in the state poll. Our goal is to make it to the state tournament.”
