Spandiary, Schaumburg show toughness

Saturday night nonconference games are often tough after an emotional Friday night conference win.

It was even tougher for Schaumburg senior Christian Spandiary since he needed 13 stitches in his chin after getting hit with an elbow in Friday’s Mid-Suburban West win over Conant.

But Spandiary bounced back to score 6 of his team-high 17 points in overtime to give the host Saxons (13-4) a 58-50 victory over Morton.

“Christian showed a lot of toughness and leadership,” said Schaumburg coach Matt Walsh. “He just battles.”

Spandiary, Kyle Bolger (8 points) and Michael Mallett (6 points) combined to go 6-for-6 on overtime free throws and 22-for-30 for the game. The Saxons were 26-for-37 to Morton’s 5-for-9.

Ironically, Morton hit 2 free throws with 31 seconds left to tie it at 48-48 and force overtime. Joe Faleni added 11 points for the Saxons as they won their fourth in a row and seventh in their last eight games.

“It was a real battle coming off a really hard-fought, emotional game against a conference rival the night before,” Walsh said. “The real positive is we were able to win a close game against a real quality team and I’m really proud of them.”