There’s an underrated aspect to the defense that senior guard Jalen Carter provides for Kaneland.
His ability to blanket the other team’s best player, regardless of the position, gives standout senior guard Marshawn Cocroft a little bit of a breather on that end of the court.
Fortunately for Carter, defense is his passion, so that’s no problem.
“I know my role is on the defensive side,” said Carter, a Northern Illinois football recruit as a cornerback. “I know that I get my shots, but I mostly focus on playing defense. That’s my main job.
“Coach assigns me to their best player every game. The shots are just a bonus.”
He was able to experience the best of both worlds Tuesday night.
Kaneland’s Jalen Carter (10) makes a leaping attempt to save the ball from going out against Rockford East in a Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional semifinal game on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Rob Dicker / The Beacon News)
He scored 12 points, all coming on four 3-pointers, in addition to his lockdown defense to help the Knights roll to a 64-44 win over Rockford East in a Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional semifinal.
Junior center Jeffrey Hassan tallied 15 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots for Kaneland (33-0), which advances to play the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between Crystal Lake South (26-7) and Sycamore (27-5) at 7 p.m. Friday for the sectional title.
Cocroft and Connor Kimme added 14 points apiece for the Knights, while Brian Harper Jr. led all scorers for Rockford East (16-18) with 23 points.
After Cocroft scored 30 points in Friday’s 70-52 win over Burlington for the regional title, it was mentioned that Cocroft is free to go offensively knowing Carter is locking things down on defense.
Kaneland’s Jalen Carter (10) nails a 3-pointer from the corner against Rockford East during a Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional semifinal game on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Rob Dicker / The Beacon News)
“He’s very important to our team,” Cocroft said of Carter. “I don’t have a problem guarding the other team’s best player, but that may not be the best situation all the time. Jalen, he takes that role. He loves playing defense. That’s just his thing.
“Every night he’s willing to take on the opponent’s best player. That’s just a big key for us. He leads our defense and we just follow his energy.”
Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe knows Cocroft is a lockdown defender himself. With the Knights having state title hopes, however, that probably wouldn’t be the best plan for this particular group.
“That’s something we talked about as a staff coming into the season,” Colombe said. “Marshawn is capable of being a lockdown defender. We didn’t want to wear him out. It’s huge.”
Kaneland’s Marshawn Cocroft (3) gets past Rockford East’s Julius Crawford (23) on a drive during a Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional semifinal game on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Rob Dicker / The Beacon News)
Carter confirmed that his ability to guard every position came out of necessity early in his career.
“When I was at Aurora Christian, I was one of the big men, so I had to guard the biggest guy every game,” Carter said. “I feel like that just helps every game. It definitely translates to now.”
Colombe is happy that Carter developed that knack.
“He’s a lockdown defender,” Colombe said. “He can guard multiple positions. We can put him on a big, put him on a point guard. He’s really good about staying in front of people without fouling.”
That said, Carter also can shoot with accuracy from the outside.
He hit a 3-pointer Tuesday to start Kaneland’s scoring. His 3-pointer in the second quarter gave the Knights a 21-20 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He added a 3-pointer in the third and fourth quarters to push the lead to 39-24 and 56-37, respectively.
Kaneland’s Jalen Carter (10) comes out of a scrum with a rebound against Rockford East during a Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional semifinal game on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Rob Dicker / The Beacon News)
“It feels really great, especially in a playoff environment,” Carter said. “Just being able to knock down shots when I’m open and contribute to the team.”
Colombe was thrilled to see that performance from Carter, Kimme and Evan Frieders. Kaneland shot 45% (9 of 20) from the beyond the arc.
“We were able to keep that separation and even expand the lead,” Colombe said. “It was nice to see that we didn’t have to rely on Marshawn scoring 30.”
Carter, meanwhile, is ready for another typical team performance Friday.
“My whole team is relentless,” Carter said. “Our energy just feeds off each other, and it showed again.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/03/jalen-carter-kaneland-boys-basketball/
