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Barrington turns back Palatine

This was not your father's typical Mid-Suburban West boys basketball game: 47-16 at halftime; a 38-point third quarter (by the team with 16 at the half) and 3-pointers flying and falling from just about everywhere.

Somehow out of all that organized chaos, Barrington stood tall at home and emerged with an 82-69 win over visiting Palatine, which almost pulled off the most-improbable of comebacks.

Just when it seemed Barrington would run away and hide from the visitors after shooting 18-for-29 in the first half, including 4-of-4 on 3-pointers, and outrebounding its shorter guests 25-11 for a 31-point lead, Palatine regrouped.

"We told ourselves (at halftime), 'That's enough,' " said high scorer Justin Chaney (25 points), whose 5-of-5 shooting in the third quarter, including a trio of 3-pointers, enabled Palatine to get within 62-54 after three.

It was 68-64 after R.J. Smith scored from Matt Ulrich. But Barrington wouldn't fold, let alone surrender that lead.

"You've got to give Palatine credit. We knew they weren't going to quit. We got a little sloppy careless with the basketball," said Barrington coach Bryan Tucker. "I was really proud of our players, the way they made plays when they needed to."

That includes Rapolas Ivanauskas, the 6-foot-9 junior center who scored 31 points and enabled Barrington to hold the lead by scoring press-breaking layups twice and converting another time on a feed from junior guard Ben Weber after Palatine got with 68-64.

"(Weber) is a talented kid, too," said Tucker, whose team stayed unbeaten in the MSL West. "He's got great sense and feel for the game."

He put in 15 points, including 4-of-6 at the line in the fourth quarter and supplied the impetus to finally snap Palatine's press.

"Our guards did a great job," Ivanauska said.

Scott Bennett (10 points) and Matt McAndrews pitched in, as did junior forward Will Reinhard, who helped Ivanauskas dominate the glass.

In the end, Palatine's late surges weren't enough.

"Came out flat," said Pirates coach Eric Millstone, whose club slipped to 5-2 overall and 0-2 in the division.

"We battled in the second half," said high-scorer Chaney. "We came out and we worked hard on defense."

It paid off as Barrington committed 13 second-half turnovers and R.J. Smith and Mike E. Williams joined Chaney in converting them into points on the ball-hawking of Ulrich and Chris Macahon.

Barrington, meanwhile, will be looking to focus on 32 minutes of intensity in the future to avoid giving away big leads.

"Practices are key," said Ivanauskas.

Baskets are key, said Millstone.

"We didn't shoot it well," in the first half, he noted. "We weren't in rhythm."

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