Esp, Marmion finish with win at BG

Marmion Academy nearly waited too long to get the offense restarted against Buffalo Grove in the finale of the Bison Classic boys basketball tournament Saturday.

The Cadets, who'd led host BG 30-18 early in the third quarter, found itself in the driest of dry spells, a drought that cost them the lead. Marmion went 8 minutes and 51 seconds between field goals, and the lead had turned into a 34-33 deficit.

Jake Esp's basket with 3:33 remaining put his team back in front 35-34, and that seemed to get Marmion back on track. The Cadets (2-2) capitalized on a couple of charges by the Bison and made some pressure-packed free throws down the stretch to seal the 47-40 victory.

"In the third quarter, they took us out of our rhythm," Marmion coach Joe Currie said. "We took a couple of charges (in the fourth), and when we found Jake, he was able to finish."

"I started driving," Esp said. "I didn't get good position for a while. We were a little stagnant.

"When Jordan (Glasgow) and Fletch (Matt Fletcher) took those charges, it turned up everything from there."

Esp scored 6 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, and Fletcher (9 points) was 4-of-6 from the line. Josh Ruddy (11 points) and all-tournament selection Glasgow (6) each added a pair from the foul line.

Buffalo Grove's defense, which allowed the Bison to get back into the game and lead 38-35 with 2:32 remaining, earned praise from coach Keith Peterson.

"The defense continues to be a pleasant surprise," BG coach Keith Peterson said. "On offense, we haven't made enough shots."

BG (1-3) got a boost from Nate Woten who made a 3-point play and banked in a shot at the buzzer to pull BG within 33-31 after three quarters.

The Bison had balanced scoring led by sophomore Collin Dekorsi, who scored 9 of his 11 in the first half. All-tournament selection Hans Haller added 9, and Woten and Joey Pinakidis each scored 6.