Jacobs Gives Grant an Eyeful

Coach Lute Olson of Arizona took a seat in the bleachers Friday night to watch Gilbert Arenas of Grant, who has signed with the Wildcats.

That alone should have produced some knots in the stomach of Arenas and others.

“I didn’t know he was here,” guard Branden Jacobs of Sylmar said. “I’m glad I didn’t. I probably would have been nervous. I was putting on a show for my coaches.”

Jacobs, not Arenas, took center stage in a game that decided the East Valley League championship. Jacobs scored 23 points and Sylmar defeated the Lancers, 60-48.

Sylmar (22-5, 9-1) dominated the boards and took advantage of Arenas’ failure to make free throws. Arenas, who scored 21 points, made five of 12 from the line.

“I haven’t missed that many free throws in my life,” Arenas said. “Oh my God, I was horrible.”

Grant (19-6, 7-3) players felt much better than they did after a 13-point defeat to the Spartans last week. They hustled and fought hard throughout.

Guard Daniel Tarr aided Arenas with 15 points.

“Everybody played hard,” Arenas said. “We just couldn’t get the ball in the basket.”

The Lancers had no answer for Sylmar rebounders Joey Youman, Dallas Townsend, Jeremiah Turner and George Wrighster. Loose balls kept finding their way into the hands of Sylmar players.

“It makes it very hard to play them when they’re getting second and third efforts,” Coach Howard Levine of Grant said. “They really pounded the boards.”

Jacobs hurt the Lancers with decisive baskets. He made a three-pointer at the end of the second quarter for a 35-22 Spartan lead and added back-to-back baskets midway through the third quarter to give Sylmar a 40-24 advantage.

Arenas brought Grant back by scoring 11 points in the third quarter when the Lancers closed to 45-38.

Jacobs delivered again in the fourth quarter with two baskets and two free throws, preventing any Grant comeback.

“[Jacobs] hurt us,” Levine said. “He comes out of nowhere and keeps coming at you. When you least expect it, bingo. He’s a quick-release shooter, and he burned us.”

Arenas insisted Olson’s presence had no effect on him.

“Just another man in the crowd with [silver] hair,” Arenas said.

Sylmar and Grant begin the City Section playoffs on Friday. The pairings will be determined today. Both schools should be among the 16 teams selected for the City Championship tournament.

“Playing teams like Simi Valley and Washington Union is going to help us out,” Jacobs said, referring to two ranked teams the Spartans lost to in tournament play.

As for Grant, Levine said, “I think there’s always a chance, with a ballplayer like Arenas, of doing something.”