Radnor’s Hicke, fellow sophs slow down Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — When you start three sophomores, as Radnor’s boys basketball team does, the question of who gets the ball in crunch time doesn’t always follow conventional wisdom.

Yes, Radnor’s eyes go first to Lew Robinson, the senior guard who has starred in the lineup since his long-ago sophomore season. But when defenses shift to negate Robinson, and Radnor searches for volunteers, the spotlight often falls on a youngster.

In Jackson Hicke, the youngest of the young, Radnor found a willing – and hot – hand Tuesday night.

Hicke scored 20 points, including four in overtime, and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Radnor to a 47-42 win at Springfield’s brand-new gym.

While fellow sophomore starters Danny Rosenblum and Charlie Thornton saw significant minutes last year, Hicke didn’t. But the stringy soph had no qualms about taking the ball in overtime and driving the lane for jumpers.

“I think we’re generally a young team, three sophomores starting,” Hicke said. “So we’ve just got to take advantage of when we have the shots to take them, especially in a four-minute quarter.”

Plan A in the scoring scheme, Robinson, was unusually quiet. Two first-half fouls limited his playing time, and the explosive guard had just two points and four field goal attempts through three quarters.

Robinson would turn it on with seven points in the fourth and 11 for the game, including a clutch 7-for-7 at the line. But had Radnor waited for Robinson to turn it on, they would’ve left Leamy Avenue with a loss.

“Lew will always come up clutch,” Rosenblum said. “I trusted him on those free throws, even at the end of the game. He always gets his quiet points, and he’s a really reliable teammate.”

Instead, the sophs took control. With Springfield (3-2, 3-2 Central) flashing a high 3-2 zone and alternating presses, Hicke’s ability as a forward to put the ball on the floor was even more vital. He occupied the zone’s soft spot near the foul line, a conduit to get Rosenblum (six points, three assists, three rebounds), Thornton (seven points, four rebounds) and others involved.

He also called his own number, like nailing a 26-footer early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 33, the seventh of 10 ties in an entertaining affair.

“For Jackson, we’re all used to it,” Rosenblum said. “He’s a really reliable shooter, and we can always count on him. And I’ve been playing with him for a while. In these big situations, he always comes up clutch.”

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