Tough night all around for Glenbard West
A bench technical that was assessed to Oak Park-River Forest before action even got under way was about the only thing that went right for Glenbard West on Friday night.
Despite two free throws and the basketball to begin the game, the Hilltoppers never got on track during an 80-42 defeat on the road in West Suburban Silver play.
Glenbard West point guard Corey Davis missed both free throws and then injured his knee on the ensuing possession to open the game. It only got worse from there thanks to Oak Park’s pressure defense and considerable size advantage.
The Huskies (11-4, 2-2), utilizing an opportunistic, full-court trap, got into transition every chance they had, creating turnovers and easy scoring opportunities throughout the game.
Despite how effective their pressure seemed, Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder, whose team looked flustered all night, said it could have been worse.
“They can press even more aggressively than they did and we turned it over against their softer press, which I was surprised at, because usually we handle the ball better than that,” he said. “We turned it over more than I thought we were going to tonight.”
Trailing 36-18 at the half, the Hilltoppers (7-8, 1-3) forced a turnover to open the second half and broke a halfcourt trap by finding Will Reedy for a 3-pointer to get within 15, leading Hoder to yell, “this is how it starts,” referring to a potential comeback.
Oak Park made sure it was the de facto ending, outscoring Glenbard West 28-8 to end the quarter and any hope.
“Their pressure hurt us and they shot really well, so that compounded the problem,” Hoder said.
The Hilltoppers, led by sophomore Brian Cochrane’s 10 points, had hoped to make it a shooting contest.
“We thought we were going to come in and make them shoot the ball. That’s what we wanted to do. They just made shots,” said Davis, who looked a step slow after returning from his knee injury to finish with 6 points.
The Huskies were happy to oblige, making nine 3s in the game. When they did miss open looks, Javonni Harrell was there to clean up the mess on the offensive glass.
Guards Jason Gant and Erick Locke, had 14 points apiece for to lead Oak Park. Harrell was also a menace on the defensive end, swatting away numerous shots around the rim and contesting countless others.
“I counted on us making some shots,” Hoder said. “When they played a 1-3-1 (defense) we had opportunities in the corner. … We didn’t make many.”
The Hilltoppers don’t have much time to lick their wounds. They’re at Wheaton North at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Said Davis: “We’re really good with bouncing back. We just want to stay around .500 and try to get over that hump, keep everything positive.”