Radnor’s Jackson Hicke, left, starts a fast break in the first half against Springfield Saturday night. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
In Jackson Hicke’s exemplary all-around game, defense may not be the first attribute that springs to mind. As an admitted opportunist whose Radnor team frees him to maraud into passing lanes, Hicke wouldn’t be offended by that.
But nights like Saturday make clear just how instrumental his defensive work is in generating the points he’s known for.
Hicke did everything for the Raptors in a 65-34 win over Springfield in the Central League semifinals. But among the 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists were six steals, part of 15 Springfield turnovers to get the high-flying Raptors into the open court.
“At the end of the day, it’s really them,” Hicke said, about as quick to deflect credit as he is a post-entry pass. “I’m just jumping the passing lane because they’re smothering kids and they have nowhere to go. But I love it because it gets me in transition, which I think is one of the best parts of my game. When they’re swarming the ballhandler, making them go into spots they don’t want to, they’re forced to throw passes they don’t want to and then I can anticipate it.”
Webmaster’s note: Delcohoops.com will be video streaming both the boy’s and girl’s Central League Championship games on Monday, February 13th! Tune in at 5:50 for the girl’s game and 7:20 for the boy’s game for our LIVE video broadcast!