A diamond gem, Jake Johnson comes long way for Burlington Central in basketball. ‘I was a cone drill last year.’

Say this about Burlington Central’s Jake Johnson. He’s a baller, albeit a somewhat self-effacing one.

Baseball is king for the junior catching prospect, whose summer travel schedule is filled with diamond time. But Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound forward, is also turning heads in basketball.

Last week, the Rockets’ third-year varsity player earned all-tournament honors at the Plano Christmas Classic for a second straight season after averaging 18 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 steals.

But he already knows his worth.

“I’m looking to play baseball in college,” Johnson said. “I play it a lot in the offseason. I worked a lot on shooting last summer but primarily play baseball.”

He also worked on his defense for basketball, knowing more would be expected of him after 6-9 Drew Sharnowski graduated and moved on to play at NCAA Division I Belmont.

“I think my defense has improved a lot,” Johnson said. “I was a cone drill last year. I couldn’t stay in front of anybody. This year, I’m better.”

That was apparent Wednesday night in Burlington Central’s 59-55 nonconference loss to Glenbard West at home. Johnson had three steals, two deflections and two blocked shots to go with team highs of 18 points and nine rebounds.

“We’ve talked about diagnosing the scouting reports and understanding them more,” Rockets coach Brett Porto said. “He’s seen a lot of them, getting close to a hundred over the years.

“He does a really good job of jumping other teams’ stuff and doing what we ask — dive into it. In the first half, a couple of his steals were key, otherwise they could have gone on a longer run.”

Glenbard West, with a 1-3-1 press helping to force 12 turnovers in the first half, led from the opening basket until the final minute of the third quarter and by as much as 12 points.

Bennek Braden, a 6-2 forward and one of four freshmen on the Rockets’ roster, sparked a rally in the third with seven of his 13 points off the bench. His layup with 22 seconds left in the quarter gave Burlington Central its lone short-lived lead at 40-38 entering the fourth.

Myles Lowe, a 6-7 senior forward, added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets (10-5). T.J. Williams, a 6-2 sophomore guard, scored 19 points to lead Glenbard West (8-7).

“It was a tough decision,” Porto said of promoting the four freshmen. “But their basketball skill level was at the varsity level. I don’t believe in holding kids back if it’s the right thing for them and for the team. That’s what you do.

“They’ve definitely contributed, like sparking us in that third quarter.”

He made the same decision with Johnson.

“I was like the eighth man on a strong team as a freshman,” said Johnson, a sophomore starter. “I was more of a spot-up shooter. Teams collapsed on Drew (Scharnowski) so hard, I’d get those open shots.

“This year, I don’t get those shots as much because teams are closing out harder. Myles (Lowe) has stepped up, helping out with that too, getting everybody open.”

Johnson is averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals.

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“Jake has really developed his whole offensive game, a little bit inside, a little bit outside,” Porto said. “It’s tougher against a zone like we faced (Wednesday) to be consistent from certain spots on the floor.”

Glenbard West shot 11 of 26 from the free-throw line, helping to keep the Rockets in the game.

“That was huge, but then again, I couldn’t hit a 3-pointer to save my life,” Johnson said of his 2-for-10 effort from beyond the arc on an off night.

Is he surprised by his basketball success?

“A little bit, for not being the most athletic person in the world,” Johnson said.

His basketball coach isn’t worried.

“He does OK for himself,” Porto said.