Rickette, Glenbard South stagger Fenton
By the end of the first quarter, Chaun Rickette was on pace for 64 points and 12 steals.
He slowed down, of course, but the Glenbard South junior guard made his point.
Rickette’s rocket start led the Raiders’ boys basketball team to Friday’s 58-41 Metro Suburban Conference victory over Fenton in Glen Ellyn.
Finishing with 24 points and 7 steals, Rickette’s 16-point, 4-steal first quarter immediately put the Bison (4-24, 2-10) on their heels. Fenton made a second-half run, but Glenbard South (8-17, 6-6) ultimately made the early advantage hold up.
“I was feeling it, it felt great,” said Rickette, who shot 12 of 20 from the field. “My teammates were getting me the ball, I was getting a good amount of steals. It really helped me get a lot of points.”
Fenton took a 9-8 lead on Brad Leffew’s basket but then Rickette scored 10 straight points. Back-to-back second-quarter baskets by Rickette boosted the Raiders’ lead to 30-17.
Trailing 33-25 at the half, Fenton rallied in the third quarter and the start of the fourth. The Bison pulled within 39-36 on DeMarcus Stone’s bucket, and he scored again to make it 41-38 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Glenbard South closed the game on a 15-3 run sparked by 6 points from Tim Marshall and 4 points by Alex Jeske.
“That’s a pretty good ballclub, we only beat them by five last time,” Rickette said. “They came out of halftime and looked like they had already been beat, so we just brought it to them. The third quarter we had a slow start, but we got it going.”
Glenbard South’s fourth-quarter domination stemmed from its defense that forced 9 of Fenton’s 25 turnovers on the night.
The Bison’s problems were epitomized when they trailed 45-38 and appeared to have converted a three-point play. Fenton was instead whistled for traveling, however, a call that set the stage for Glenbard South’s late run.
Jeske scored 12 points and Marshall had 11 for the Raiders. Irizarry led Fenton with 10 points.
“We’ve been talking about trying to get off to good starts, and on senior night you never know if they’ll be ready to go,” said Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke. “I thought they stepped up and gave us a great start.”
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