LEXINGTON — His No.-1 ranked Spartans had just crushed Danbury 71-28 in the Division IV sectional semifinals on Tuesday at Lexington High School.
But Mansfield St. Peter’s coach Joe Jakubick isn’t worried his 23-0 team will be complacent when it meets Monroeville on Friday night.
“There is no issue, they understand,” said Jakubick, who has guided his past two St. Peter’s teams to the Division IV regional finals, only to fall one game short of the Final Four in Columbus.
“You saw how (the Spartans) approached this game and they will have the same mentality on Friday. I would be shocked if we just walk on the court and just expect to win. If they do, they will not be in the game long,” Jakubick said.
OVER IN A HURRY: A 34-8 second quarter took Danbury (5-18) out of the game on Tuesday as seniors Jared Jakubick (14 second-quarter points) and Elijah Cobb (eight) raced up and down the court, notching 17 points in the period off eight Lakers’ turnovers.
It was a dominating performance, even for a Spartans’ defense that allowed less than 50 points per game this season. St. Peter’s led 48-12 at halftime and the entire second half was played with a running clock under a new OHSAA rule.
“Defensively, we made a better effort,” Jakubick said. “We wanted to get on the court and play because we have been off for two weeks. We felt it was important to get out on the floor and work through the rust. We picked it up defensively in the second quarter.”
Cobb finished with 24 points on 12-of-21 shooting to lead the Spartans. Jakubick added 18, connecting on 7-of-11 shots.
EXPERIENCE GAINED: The win was a chance for younger Spartans to also gain valuable tournament experience.
Sophomore forward Jonah Ramey, who saw extensive playing time as a freshman last season, had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. Junior guard Caleb Stewart had eight points and four rebounds. Junior forward Luke Henrich had two points and an assist in 19 minutes.
“Caleb (Stewart) did a great job and Luke, even though he didn’t score a lot, I loved the way he played. It’s about playing your role. He will take advantage of opportunities when they are given,” Jakubick said. “Jonah Ramey was that one tonight. He started showing his physicality and we need him.”
Noah Stys led Danbury with seven points. Brad Pruitt added six.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: St. Peter’s shot 58 percent (30-of-52) from the field. Danbury shot just 33 percent from the floor (12-of-36).
The Spartans had a 30-20 rebounding edge, led by Cobb with nine. Justin Tibbels had five for the Lakers. St. Peter’s had just six turnovers, compared to 18 for Danbury.
UP NEXT: St. Peter’s game Friday against No. 12-seed Monroeville begins at 6 p.m. at Lexington. The evening’s second game matches No. 3-seed Lucas against No. 5-seed Mansfield Christian. The Flames advanced on Tuesday with a 44-40 win against Plymouth.
The winners of the Lexington sectional advance to the district semifinals at Willard on March 6.
