WOODWARD — Playing because they believed he would want them to, the Woodward-Granger boys cagers took to the court Tuesday to face the Woodward Academy just 36 hours after learning of the death of teammate Drew Jacobson.
Jacobson, 16, was a junior and starting forward for the Hawks. He collapsed Dec. 2 at a practice and had remained hospitalized in intensive care until succumbing to what has been called acute intensive heart failure at 7:15 a.m. Monday.
Believing he would not want the game postponed or cancelled, the W-G players insisted the game proceed as usual.
The Woodward Academy uses the W-G Middle School gym as their home floor and were the hosts for the game. The W-G players wore bright red socks (red was Jacobson’s favorite color) that clashed with their green uniforms but served as extra motivation.
The team also received an unexpected lift when Drew’s father, Russ, made an appearance at halftime and spoke briefly with the team.
W-G was leading, 35-31, at the break, and was able to slightly expand their lead, to 53-47, after three periods.
With many of the W-G students beginning to chant Drew’s name or his nickname “Moose” the Hawks suddenly erupted, outscoring the Knights 23-11 in the final eight minutes to claim a 76-58 victory.
Long-range shooting helped provide an extra spark, as the Hawks drained 15 3-pointers in the win, with Nick Squires — the lone senior on the team — splashing seven treys as part of his game-high 28 points.
Bodie Harrison scored 14 points and Jake Greenwood 12 for W-G, with Marcus McConahay and Derick Morgan adding eight points apiece while Brady Aunspach and Broday Easter provided three points each.
Harrison knocked down three 3-pointers to aid the winning cause for W-G (1-2), with Greenwood and McConahay hitting two treys apiece while Aunspach also landed a triple.
Marcus Riley’s 23 points led the Knights, with Delonquay Richardson recording 15 points.
Both the W-G boys and girls will host Van Meter Friday, beginning with the girls game at 6 p.m. Fans of both teams are asked to wear red in honor of Jacobson.
