Jalen Carter is a late arrival to this group, but the well-traveled junior guard for Kaneland has added more quality depth to the team’s already deep bench since becoming eligible on Feb. 7.
Carter attended Aurora Christian his first two years and was a sophomore starter at quarterback for a playoff football team and guard for the basketball team that finished fourth in the state.
Then he transferred last fall to Wheaton St. Francis.
“I’m very surprised,” Carter said. “I didn’t think Kaneland would be an option for me, but St. Francis didn’t work out and this was my home school. I thought I’d give it a shot, and so far, I love it here.
“I transferred at semester and had to sit out 30 days. I’ve played in several games. Each game, I’m knocking off a little bit of rust. I hadn’t really played basketball much but it’s starting to feel more comfortable.”
That was pretty evident Wednesday night for the top-seeded Knights in a 50-32 victory over seventh-seeded Rockford Boylan in a Class 3A Rochelle Sectional semifinal.
The 6-foot-1 Carter and senior guard Preston Popovich were the first reserves tabbed by coach Ernie Colombe late in the first quarter.
“Coaches told us to go up and play, get up in there, get aggressive and force them to speed up the pace,” Carter said. “That’s what we did.”
Each player had a steal in the second quarter for the Knights (31-1), with Carter scoring on a layup. He added a 3-pointer in the third quarter. Popovich made 1 of 2 free throws.
“The big thing for us is just bring a lot of energy,” Popovich said. “We take pride in our defense and getting stops in a big way. Then, at the offensive end, try and get the ball inside.”
Junior guard Marshawn Cocroft, Carter’s former teammate at Aurora Christian, led Kaneland with 15 points. Senior forward Freddy Hasan added 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.
The Knights (31-1) advance to a 7 p.m. Friday game against second-seeded Crystal Lake South (30-4) in a rematch of last year’s sectional final. The Gators won 69-38 on the Knights’ home floor.
Rockford Boylan (6-27), which kept its Cinderella bid alive with long, patient possessions while looking for good shots, trailed only 25-19 at halftime. Kaneland, however, took advantage of eight turnovers to extend the lead to 13 after three quarters.
“Whether we’re playing a seven seed or one seed, our job is to play the best we can and not worry about anybody else but us,” Colombe said. “That’s a storied program with a lot of pride.
“They did a good job in the beginning, but we found a way to scratch and claw, trying to get some runs going.”
Steals from Cocroft, Hassan and senior guard Luke Reinert sparked the spurt in the third quarter.
“It’s been a great pickup having him,” Cocroft said of Carter. “He can knock down shots. Not only that, he’s a very good defender. He gave us big minutes against Wheaton Academy last Friday in the regional final.
“It doesn’t matter who comes in off the bench, whoever it is has to be ready to play.”
Carter was behind touted junior quarterback prospect Brady Palmer — who transferred this winter to a school in Florida — and played defensive back for St. Francis before suffering a knee injury that sidelined him until the playoffs.
He has also played AAU basketball with Kaneland teammates Evan Frieders, Isaiah Gipson and Jeffrey Hassan, in addition to Cocroft and Freddy Hassan.
Nothing, though, is given, according to Colombe.
“The guys know they earn everything they get, so whoever is playing well on a given night is gonna play more,” he said. “If you’re playing well, you stay out there.
“Jalen knows a lot of these guys and they’ve played together for a long time. It’s not easy adding players in the middle of the season, but it is what it is.”
