Quite a start for Gillespie, Warren
Eric Gillespie’s first varsity start Monday night will be one to remember.
A career-high 37 points, that’s hard to forget.
He also dropped in three straight 3-point baskets in a 15-point fourth quarter to propel Warren past Barrington 63-54 in the opening game of the boys Thanksgiving tournament at Mundelein High School.
Warren played without starter Adrian Deere because of knee injury.
Gillespie’s 15 point-run broke a 46-46 tie just a few minutes into the fourth quarter.
Warren closed the game with a 17-8 run down the stretch.
“I was very hot and I sensed the crowd,” Gillespie said. “It got me hyped up and it got into my head having a good game.
“My teams set the best screens for me and I rolled off them to step up. I felt it in warm-ups and got here early to practice.”
Big games aren’t completely new for Gillespie, who had a big game off the bench last season with 27 points against Zion-Benton.
“We were just going to (Gillespie),” said Warren coach Ryan Webber. “We just got plays that were going to give him open looks. He really didn’t care where he was at. He’s just fearless that way and that’s what we like about him.”
Barrington was the aggressor early and built a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes of the first quarter, when Chris Lester scored 5 of his team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Broncos led 16-10 heading into the second quarter.
“We shot well early,” said Barrington coach Bryan Tucker. “Then (Warren) started to knock down shots. We just couldn’t match them and we just got cold.
“(Gillespie) got some runs single-handedly. We had kids guarding him pretty good. He hit one like an NBA shot — a driving, step-back fadeaway 3. You have to tip your hat.”
Gillespie hit a couple of 3-pointers for 10 of his second-quarter points, putting Warren ahead 29-26 at the break.
“We showed a lot of toughness and defense picked things up a bit,” Webber said. “We were executing our shots a lot better. We were not giving our offense a chance. We need to trust our offense. We still have a long way to go.”
The Blue Devils made 7 of 10 shots in the middle quarters to build a 46-39 lead.
The Broncos nudged back early in the fourth with a 7-0 run. They tied the game at 46 with 5:18 left when Zach Bart (12 points, 8 rebounds) made 2 free throws.
Austin Madrzyk added 13 points for Barrington.
“Our kids did a nice job coming back,” Tucker said. “We just couldn’t sustain it. I do like our aggressiveness and our confidence. It felt like for a bunch of young kids, I didn’t feel like they play scared.”