Jacobs’ Elijah and Malachi Bell could have followed their dad to Marian Central this year.

Instead, the brothers, transfer students whose basketball skills have been on display this week in Lakes’ Hoopsgiving Tournament, chose to stay close to home. It was a choice their dad, Lafeyette, who’s the new coach at Marian Central, encouraged.

“My dad wanted to let us spread our wings and trust somebody else’s leadership,” said Malachi Bell, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard. “He put us in the right hands with Coach Jimmy Roberts.”

Roberts, Jacobs’ coach, has welcomed the talented Bell brothers with open arms. Roberts’ Golden Eagles improved to 2-0 Tuesday night, rallying in the fourth quarter to edge Buffalo Grove 45-42 in Lake Villa.

Elijah Bell, a 6-3 junior guard who played for his dad at Harvest Christian in Elgin, scored a game-high 15 points and added six steals. Malachi Bell added 14 points, including a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and two bigger free throws down the stretch.

Alex Sirbu, Buffalo Grove’s 6-9 junior forward, had 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Bison (1-1). BG committed five of its 20 turnovers in the fourth, while making only 3 of 9 shots.

“Turnovers really hurt us down the stretch, just silly turnovers, and then they were able to get downhill,” Bison coach Kevin Geldon said. “Obviously they got some nice players. When we had a defensive breakdown, they made us pay. Once they were able to penetrate, that’s when bad things happened.”

The Bell brothers, who live in Lake in the Hills, combined for 12 points in the fourth, after Jacobs trailed 34-31 after three.

“When we were younger, we were always training in the gym with my dad,” Malachi Bell said. “So I feel like our dad prepared us for that moment.”

BG took a 36-31 lead early in the fourth on Dylan Ronczkowski’s layup in transition, but Carson Goehring (five points, six rebounds) scored on a putback and Elijah Bell scored in the lane to get Jacobs to within one.

Elijah Bell’s drive put the Eagles in front, and then he drove again before finding his kid brother in the right corner. Malachi Bell knocked down the 3-pointer with 3:54 left to extend Jacobs’ lead to 42-38. Before that, the Eagles were 1 of 18 from three-point range.

BG’s Edwin Karnauchovas tied the scored at 42-all with a steal and layup, but Malachi Bell buried two free throws with 18 seconds left, after his older brother split two tosses.

“Big free throws from Malachi Bell. Shoutout to him,” Elijah Bell said. “Ice in his veins.”

Roberts said he has to remind himself that the younger Bell is only a freshman.

“He’s been unbelievable since he’s been with us,” Roberts said. “We’ve known him for a long time, since he was a little guy. He’s always been a special dude, just a wise-beyond-his-years guy.”

Sirbu, who had seven offensive rebounds, knows he and Bison teammates can learn from their fourth-quarter mistakes.

“They forced us into turnovers,” Sirbu said. “We weren’t strong with the ball, and I felt we could have gotten some better shots and just been more composed and not rattled by the pressure of the moment.”

Karnauchovas (two 3-pointers) and Ronczkowski added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for BG.

Both Bell brothers are already showing leadership qualities and are fitting in with their new teammates quickly. Their fourth-quarter performance provided an example of that.

“As a team, we had to move the ball and keep on sharing,” said Elijah Bell, who shot 3 of 4 from the floor in the fourth. “Without my teammates, those shots [in the fourth quarter] wouldn’t have happened. The little stuff matters, not just putting the ball in the basket, but getting on the ground, helping your teammates up and keeping your teammates high when shots aren’t going in.”

Quinn Gorges, a 6-6 junior and varsity rookie, added seven points, including a 3-pointer, and five rebounds for Jacobs. Samson Averehi also grabbed five rebounds, and Jack Magee contributed four steals.

“I told [the players] this is a ‘Jacobs win,’ ” Roberts said after his team shot 2 of 20 from beyond the arc. “It’s a tough, hard-nosed, physical Jacobs win. With the talented kids we have, if we can still get ‘Jacobs wins,’ I think we got a chance to be pretty good.”