Johnsburg boys basketball coach Mike Toussaint has empathy for any player who can’t play because of injury.

He pains for them, because Toussaint has been there, junior year of high school.

“I broke my [right] thumb [shooting hand], and I had to sit out six weeks with a cast,” said Toussaint, a 1986 Johnsburg graduate.

Before Tuesday night’s Kishwaukee River Conference opener between host Johnsburg and Richmond-Burton, Toussaint had a talk with the opposing team’s point guard, Rockets junior Gavin Radmer.

Radmer, who opened the season with 20- and 25-point efforts, suffered a radial fracture in his right elbow Saturday when he drove the lane for a layup against Grant and collided with a defender. Radmer also injured his right hand when he landed.

Johnsburg took advantage of his absence, using a 14-0 run that extended into the second quarter to build a double-digit halftime lead en route to a 71-46 win.

“We were aware of it,” Skyhawks guard Jayce Schmitt, who scored nine of his game-high 19 points in the first half, said of Radmer’s absence. “We really just took advantage of him not being there. We knew we could get pressure and make their other guard have to earn his way to the hoop.”

An MRI of Radmer’s right hand is scheduled for Thursday and should reveal how long he will be sidelined.

The returning All-KRC player had scored 17 points against Grant when he got injured late in the third quarter. It was only the third game of the season for R-B, which didn’t play in a Thanksgiving tournament because several of its players were still playing for the football team, which advanced to the Class 3A state semifinals.

“I felt bad that Gavin wasn’t playing,” Toussaint said after Tuesday’s win, which was the Skyhawks’ second in a row. “I hate to see high school kids miss time. I always want to play a team that’s full steam.”

Jarrel Albea added 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Johnsburg (2-4). The senior guard attacked the basket aggressively, scoring nine points, including a 3-pointer, in the third quarter, as the Skyhawks outscored the Rockets 22-7 to extend their 35-25 halftime advantage to 57-32.

“You could notice [how Radmer’s absence affected the game],” Johnsburg guard Danny Loud said. “When they were taking the ball up, we had a couple of steals.”

Loud had what Toussaint called “by far, his best varsity game.” The 6-foot-6 senior came off the bench to score 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and collect 10 rebounds.

It was Loud’s first career double-double and was extra sweet because it came against the Skyhawks’ rival.

“I just looked forward to this game and had an edge on my shoulder,” Loud said. “I was pretty confident going in.”

Loud did most of his damage in the lane. His five field goals included two on putbacks. He also finished a layup after flying down the lane and taking a pass from Ashton Stern.

“Loud played outstanding,” Toussaint said. “He’s always been quiet. Last year he wasn’t a physical guy, and I feel like this year he’s gotten more physical. He finishes around the rim, and he’s actually probably one of our better outside shooters. And he didn’t even get going tonight with that. He played inside, and that’s not his forte. He played strong. He rebounded strong.”

R-B got 13 points apiece from Luke Robinson and Jace Nelson, who gave the fans a thrill with a two-handed breakaway dunk in the closing seconds of the first half. Will Gardner drained three 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.

Stern (three steals) and Trey Toussaint each had seven points for Johnsburg. Ryan Franze gave the Skyhawks strong minutes off the bench as well, scoring five points, including a 3, and hustling for five rebounds.

“We wanted it,” said Schmitt, who also had seven rebounds. “We knew we were playing our rival, and we were just very aggressive on defense. The spark for us was just getting it going and our energy. The gym was loud.”