For senior forward Jake Johnson, the hallmark of his basketball career at Burlington Central may wind up being consistency and steadiness.
Over a four-year varsity run, despite not being the flashiest player on the court, he always seems to find his way to the top of the scoring list every game while making big plays to aid a win.
The two 3-pointers Johnson hit in the fourth quarter Wednesday night for the Rockets against Dundee-Crown to keep the Chargers at bay are just another example of that attribute.
“When the game got close, he hit a big shot to keep it at bay,” Burlington Central coach Brett Porto said of Johnson. “That’s what you need from a guy that’s been with you for four years in the second half of a conference game.
“You hope for that when you get a guy that works with you for that long.”
Sure enough, the Missouri Southern baseball recruit ended up atop the scoring column with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting in a 73-65 Fox Valley Conference victory for the host Rockets.
LJ Kerr added 21 points and five assists for Burlington Central (5-2, 2-1). Patrick Shell scored 14 points.
Jared Russell led Dundee-Crown (1-5, 0-3) with 22 points. Rasheed Trice added 13 points, while Anthony Spain and Terrion Spencer each had 10.
For Johnson, his performance was a welcome sight after some early season struggles. Even when that happens, however, Johnson has shown the ability to stay the course.
“The start of the year was slow,” Johnson said. “I had a really bad start to the season. I am starting to find it a little bit.”
Johnson, a standout catcher, recently signed to play baseball in college. He knows this is his last season on the basketball court and he’s determined to make the most of it.
His relationship with Kerr and Caden West is a big reason why his last basketball go-around means so much to him.
“This is my last year of basketball,” Johnson said. “I’m excited. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year. We’re doing well so far.
“I’ve been playing with Caden and LJ literally since we were in fourth grade. We’re just trying to have fun this year and see how far we can go in the playoffs.”
Dundee-Crown, though, held a 27-22 lead in the second quarter before the Rockets started to put things together.
A 15-2 burst by Burlington Central seemingly put the game away, but the Chargers hung around. They cut the deficit to 51-50 in the fourth before back-to-back 3-pointers from Shell and Johnson stemmed the tide.
“I thought we did enough to win the game offensively,” Dundee-Crown coach Lance Huber said. “We left some points on the board with free throws and layups.
“They made us pay when we didn’t take care of business, and that’s what good teams do. We’re striving to get there.”
Before the game, it was announced that Porto would be among the eight-person class to be inducted on Feb. 7 into the school’s Hall of Fame.
The 2003 graduate, a multisport star, has become the winningest coach in program history.
“I’m just excited to have that nod with all the great athletes that have come through here,” Porto said. “I just put in a lot of time and effort back then as a player, tried to do everything the coaches asked, do anything I could for my teammates.”
Johnson could very well be on the same trajectory. He’s 31 points away from 1,000 in his career, which will only bolster his legacy.
“I’m excited,” Johnson said. “I haven’t really thought about it enough. I’m sure when it happens I’ll be all smiles.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
