Jacobsen’s 45 Points Sink Valencia, 85-62

Well, they didn’t lose by 46.

The Valencia High boys’ basketball team managed to escape that fate, suffered by an earlier playoff victim of Glendora.

Nonetheless, Glendora dropped the Vikings out of the playoffs with an 85-62 victory in a Southern Section Division I-A quarterfinal Friday night at College of the Canyons.

Junior guard Casey Jacobsen, who has heard from just about every college not named North Carolina, Duke or Kansas, scored 45 points for top-seeded Glendora (28-1), which led by as many as 30 points.

The Vikings (22-7), who lack the size and outside shooting ability of Glendora, could only take satisfaction that they made it this far in only their third year of varsity basketball.

Advancing to the semifinals is ho-hum for Glendora, which has made it to at least the quarterfinals each of the past 10 seasons.

Valencia was hampered by poor three-point shooting, going 0 for 10 in the first half and making one of 14 in the game.

The 6-foot-6 Jacobsen, who scored 47 and 55 points in Glendora’s first two playoff games, drilled seven three-pointers and had three slam dunks against Valencia.

“He scores his 50 points and gets his 10 assists every game,” said Valencia forward Fabian Leon, who scored 17 points.

Valencia center Jerrohn Jordan picked up his second foul just 58 seconds into the game, leaving Leon as Valencia’s only threat in the low post for most of the game.

Leon responded with nine points, but the Vikings still trailed at halftime, 45-28.

The Vikings stayed within striking distance for part of the third quarter, but were ultimately buried by consecutive three-pointers by Jacobsen, the second of which gave Glendora a 65-38 lead with 49 seconds left in the quarter.

“I’m at the top of my game right now,” Jacobsen said. “My teammates are getting the ball to me at the right points and I’m in my zone.”

Valencia was left in a funk.

“I just don’t feel like everyone was there,” Leon said. “Everyone went out lackadaisical. Nothing we can do about it now.”

Valencia Coach Gary Spindt said that, with three major exceptions, Glendora reminded him of Hart, the team that beat the Vikings twice and won the Foothill League.

“They’re bigger, faster and stronger,” Spindt said of the Tartans.

Chad Clark and Chris Clark each scored 15 points for Glendora.

Jordan scored 21 points, 11 in the fourth quarter.