Unbeaten Dogs roll past county foe South Johnston ... again

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on December 22, 2010 1:47 PM

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PRINCETON -- It was the Bulldogs' party.

And they firmly kept the spotlight turned on themselves.

Princeton used another stellar performance from Ben Jacobs to rout South Johnston 67-48 in the championship game of the Bulldog Christmas Tournament on Tuesday evening.

Jacobs was named tournament Most Valuable Player thanks to his 38-point, 14-rebound performance against the Trojans. Jacobs recorded a sterling night from the free throw line, connecting on 17 of 19 attempts.

"Ben is a great player, one of the best in the state right now," said Princeton head coach Jeff Davis. "People have seen his numbers from our past games and what they don't realize is that he has been sitting out a lot because our games haven't been close."

With a number of college scouts and coaches in the stands, Jacobs went to work early. The talented senior broke loose for eight points and four rebounds in the first quarter as the Dawgs opened a 12-9 lead.

Foul trouble worked in Jacobs' favor in the second quarter as the Trojans were forced to run some additional post players. By halftime, he had scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

A pair of buckets by point guard C.J. Jeffreys extended the Princeton lead to 34-23 at the intermission.

"We had some guys who were off tonight, one guy sick, there were things working against us," said Davis. "But we were able to get the lead and play good defense on enough possessions to hold it."

The third quarter was another Jacobs highlight reel as the Dawgs built a 20-point advantage. Turnovers allowed the Trojans to cut the lead to 52-38, but never drew closer as the Princeton offense methodically worked around the perimeter.

A technical foul against South Johnston head coach Eli Gourash, and the two subsequent free throws by Jacobs helped seal the contest.

Casey Turnage paced South Johnston with 18 points. Joel Weston added eight points and nine rebounds before fouling out.

Jeffreys, an all-tournament team selection, dropped in 11 points for Princeton. Justin Foy, who was battling flu-like symptoms, grabbed 10 rebounds.

"I am really proud of my guys tonight," Davis said after the trophy presentation. "South Johnston is a big physical team and we responded well to their size and strength."

Princeton (11-0 overall) faces Creswell on Dec. 27 in a two-day holiday tournament at South Creek.