Glenbard East sends a reminder
Glenbard East had a collective question for the Class 4A East Aurora sectional Wednesday night.
Remember us?
As a No. 3 seed, you’d think the Rams might garner consideration as a favorite to claim the program’s first sectional title since 1964.
But between top-seeded Benet entering the playoffs unbeaten and nationally ranked, No. 4 East Aurora boasting perhaps the state’s top player in Ryan Boatright and No. 2 Downers Grove South riding an 18-game winning streak, Glenbard East (25-3) somehow became the forgotten team.
That changed Wednesday night.
With a 67-62 sectional semifinal win over Downers South (25-4), the Rams scored that elusive signature win. After coming up just short in high-profile games during the regular season, this victory made a statement.
“We really don’t get a lot of credit in my opinion,” said Rams senior Johnny Hill, who scored 21 points on Wednesday. “We lost to a couple teams and, to be honest with you, we lost to the best team in 4A, the best team in 3A and a real good team in Proviso East. We don’t get too much credit, but we always want to go out there and take the opportunity in these games.
“You don’t get too many chances to play top teams in the state,” He said. “Downers Grove South is a real great team. This is a signature win for us.”
What people tend to forget is that the Rams graduated three starters from last season but Hill, who’s headed to Illinois State, and point guard Zach Miller, committed to Northern Illinois, were the key cogs who carried Glenbard East to last year’s sectional final.
They combined for 43 of the team’s 67 points on Wednesday, with Miller knocking down four 3-pointers and dishing 5 assists. Their big-game experience clearly showed against the Mustangs.
“I guess we’re the Cinderella story now,” Miller said. “We kind of thought that no one was giving us a shot, and we felt like we deserved to be the No. 2 seed. We kind of took that as a little slap in the face, and we came out today and showed what we’re about.”
A win in any one of the three games Glenbard East lost in the regular season, and the Rams may have earned the No. 2 seed ahead of Downers South. Without that “big” win to lean on, though, the Rams were a bit of an unknown.
They lost 78-64 to 3A power Peoria Notre Dame, which entered the postseason unbeaten, then fell 65-59 to Proviso East. Finally, at the High School Hoops Showdown, Benet pounded the Rams 75-51.
Beyond that the Rams have been perfect, which is pretty much how they played against the Mustangs.
“We played well against those teams, but we didn’t get over the hump,” said Rams coach Scott Miller. “We’ve played against some really good teams to get us prepared for this. You just can’t say enough about the kids’ effort and heart.”
kschmit@dailyherald.com