Pasadena Pays for Foul-Ups at the Finish

You don’t foul Jake Willis with the game on the line. Or Brock Jacobsen.

Or even Blake Jacobson. At least, not this time.

But Pasadena High fouled all three in the final minute of Friday night’s Pacific League boys’ basketball showdown at Crescenta Valley.

And Willis, Jacobsen and Jacobson made the Bulldogs pay dearly, sinking eight free throws without a miss to drive Crescenta Valley to a 64-56 victory.

The victory moved Crescenta Valley (21-1, 6-1), ranked No. 1 in The Times’ regional poll, into a first-place tie with Pasadena (17-6, 6-1), which defeated the Falcons three weeks ago.

Jacobsen, shooting 72% from the line this season, made two free throws with 43 seconds to play and two more with three seconds left.

Willis, an 80% free-throw shooter, added two free throws with 30 seconds to play. Jacobson, 61% this season, came through twice with 19 seconds to play.

“I was doing good until league started,” said Jacobson, who made six of eight free throws. “Then I hit a slump.”

The Falcons, shooting 68% from the line this season, made 12 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter. Jacobsen, who had 24 points, was eight for eight in the fourth quarter, 11 of 12 overall.

“I like shooting those,” Jacobsen said. “I know they’re going in, nothing but net. I’m not kidding. I shoot about 100 a day and I usually make about 85-90. We had to knock (Pasadena) off. We were coming after them.”

Pasadena, trailing, 56-50, began fouling with 1 minute 23 seconds to play. The Bulldogs’ first target was Shawn Zargarian, who missed both shots. From there, the Bulldogs repeatedly went after the wrong man.

“We didn’t listen to what the coaches said,” said Gordon Scott, who had 24 points. “It was a mental breakdown.”

Zargarian and Jacobson were on the Bulldogs’ list, Coach Bill Duwe said. But Jacobson surprised.

“We couldn’t get the fouls against the players we wanted,” Duwe said. “We were definitely going after (Jacobson). But he came through in the end.”

Crescenta Valley Coach John Goffredo pointed to Jacobson’s defensive play in holding Derek Hodges to 13 points.

“We figured if we held Hodges in the teens, we had a chance to win,” Goffredo said.

Jacobson, who had 12 points, also pointed to defense.

“We talked about it all week long,” he said. “About getting back on defense.”

Crescenta Valley jumped to a 16-4 lead in the first quarter, thanks largely to a pair of three-point baskets by Jacobsen, who averages 27.2 points.

Pasadena appeared on the verge of being blown out before an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter. Scott’s baseline jump shot seconds after Zargarian’s missed free throws made the score 56-52.

Then it was free-throw time.