Jacsen Tucker caught the ball in the lane, took one power dribble and rose for a two-handed dunk.

Up, up and away.

Tucker, Oswego East’s 6-foot-4 junior, is a sky-high prospect in his spring sport, baseball. Rated the fourth-best junior in Illinois, Tucker committed to Oklahoma State in November.

But it’s December. Tucker’s baseball glove and bat take a backseat.

“Baseball is my main sport, but when it comes to basketball season I’m locked in on basketball,” Tucker said. “I mix in baseball every now and then to stay sharp but basketball season I’m full throttle on basketball.”

Tucker and the Wolves were full throttle Friday.

He put up a double-double, one of three Oswego East players in double figures scoring. The Wolves bounced back from their first two losses of the season to beat visiting Yorkville 57-37 in the Southwest Prairie Conference.

DePaul recruit Mason Lockett had 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals, Tucker 16 points and 10 rebounds and Dshaun Bolden 16 points and seven rebounds for Oswego East (7-2, 4-1).

The Wolves are in the midst of a challenging two weekends. They lost to Bolingbrook and Curie last weekend. They face highly-regarded Waukegan Saturday in a shootout at Hope Academy.

But they took care of business Friday, blowing things open with an 18-2 run in the second quarter.

“We used those two losses as a good thing,” Tucker said. “We started off the season very hot, had those two games, we feel like we should have won at Bolingbrook. We used it as a positive, put it into practice. It helped a lot.”

Tucker, who like Bolden had a cameo on varsity late last season but mainly led a 23-2 Oswego East sophomore team, has helped a lot this year.

He sat in the middle of Yorkville’s zone Friday, making himself available, and when he got the ball he went to the basket with authority.

Tucker’s 3-pointer and three-point play off a cut to the basket started Oswego East’s 18-2 run.

“I just feed off of Mason and the guards, just do my thing,” Tucker said. “If they hit short corner I’m going to do my thing, drive and read, just find the weak spots.”

He was also all over the defensive glass, too, which didn’t surprise Lockett.

“He brings everything,” Lockett said. “People think he’s just a baseball guy but we know he’s not. He brings hustle, he brings heart, he brings it all.”

Tucker also brings a bit of a stylistic flair.

Wearing two wristbands, high socks, a tight T-shirt underneath his jersey and hair blown out, Tucker has a look all his on the court.

“I do, I get that from baseball,” Tucker said. “In baseball I like to rock the chains, the sunglasses, the stirrups. I like to bring a little bit of flair to the court.”

Oswego East coach Ryan Velasquez loves the way Tucker brings it, even if some of it is at times on raw athletic ability. Tucker isn’t with the Wolves during the summer as he travels for baseball.

“He gives a physical presence in the middle – still working on things with Jacsen," Velasquez said. “He’s a tremendous athlete, great kid, a listener, coachable. I love how he gets on the court for loose balls. Tremendous teammate, still working on things.”

Lockett, meanwhile, came out aggressive early, scoring seven of Oswego East’s 11 points in the third quarter.

Lockett and Bolden had steals and huge breakaway dunks on back-to-back possessions late in the second quarter to put Oswego East up 31-17 at the half.

“Big energy, defense, huge thing for us to keep a team under 40 points,” Lockett said. “We knew if we could stop them we would be able to to score. That was a huge moment. We were able to get some stops, run out, get the crowd going. I love it.”

Yorkville, on the other hand, is fighting some bad fortune on the health front.

Joey Jakstys hurt an ankle in last Friday’s game with Oswego, had an MRI on Thursday and did not play Friday. Fellow sophomore Braydon Porter missed three days of school with the flu, and came off the bench Friday to score eight points.

Gabe Sanders, who led the Foxes (5-4, 3-2) with nine points, missed last Friday’s game with the flu and has barely practiced this week. Nate Kubin also scored eight points.

“We’re struggling right not to get over stuff,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said. “It was 11-9 for forever tonight, we couldn’t make a layup. It was a close game, they got three straight threes and two transition dunks. That one bad stretch opened it up and gave them confidence.”