advertisement

Top talent set to collide again at Glenbard East

Glenbard East's "When Sides Collide" boys basketball shootout is multifaceted.

"There's sides from everywhere," confirmed Rams coach Scott Miller of the three-game exhibition which tips off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

The fourth-annual event brings teams from disparate areas and conferences to Glenbard East. Miller's cousin, Suburban Hoops Report guru Joe Henricksen, helps deliver the talent.

The first game tips off at 4:30 p.m., Evanston against Riverside-Brookfield. The latter entered Friday 16-1 while Evanston features 6-foot-4 sophomore point guard Nojel Eastern, which 24/7 Sports reports owning four Division I offers.

Glenbard East gets Plainfield East with a 6 p.m. tipoff. The improved Rams (10-10) must deal with Illinois-bound guard Aaron Jordan. Glenbard East's Zach Walsh, Michael Finley, Patrick Peterkin and varied Rams defensive schemes will be tested.

"He's like a 6-4 shooting guard. He's going to be pretty easy for us to defend," Miller said jokingly, tongue totally in cheek.

Defending Class 4A champion Whitney Young meets West Aurora and Illinois State-bound forward Roland Griffin at 7:30 p.m. Blackhawks coach Gordie Kerkman will be seeking his 795th victory.

The Glenbard East gym, underrated in its hoops atmosphere and layout, offers 2,000 seats. All were sold out last year, and another sellout is anticipated. Tickets are $8 at the door or $6 if you can get to the Lombard school Friday to purchase them.

"It's our fourth year doing it and I think the kids really look forward to the challenge," Miller said.

Attitude pays off:

When a winless team heads into the dog days with plenty of good opponents still ahead, the unsettling thought of a dreaded winless season can creep in.

Montini got that monkey off its back Jan. 19 at Sterling's first Martin Luther King Tournament. The Broncos beat the host 49-46 and even at 1-18, one beats none.

"The kids felt like a million bucks," said Montini coach Brian Opoka.

Montini twice rallied from 9-point deficits, using a 15-0 run to do so. In crunch time 6-5 forward Kevin Brachmann sank a pair of free throws, grabbed a defensive rebound and passed out to Marvin Edwards. Edwards got fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws for the margin.

The leaders remain the trio Opoka cited at the season's outset: junior forward Brachmann, senior guard Sam Thomas and senior forward Mike Mooney, who averaged 17 points over four games at Sterling.

"I'm super-proud of the kids," Opoka said. "This goes back to character."

Although Montini had an 0-17 mark before the Sterling game, Opoka said attitude has never been an issue. "Exemplary," he called it.

The games have gotten tighter as well. At Sterling the Broncos lost to Willowbrook and highly regarded Dixon, both by 9 points. After an 81-45 season-opening wipeout against Aurora Central, on Jan. 10 Montini lost to the same team 61-58.

Montini looks to continue to trend upward against Marmion Friday, but regardless Opoka likes what he's got.

"In terms of likability, this team's top of the line," Opoka said. "I go home every night not frustrated."

Survivors:

Glenbard West faced perhaps its toughest weekend of the season and survived a West Suburban Silver doubleheader against Hinsdale Central and Lyons Twp. - teams with a combined 29-6 record.

Beyond surviving, though, the Hilltoppers pushed both games into upset territory. Even through Glenbard West lost to the Silver powerhouses, the Hilltoppers hope the learning experience pays dividends down the road.

"We've been playing with a little more defensive intensity," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. "We keep playing hard, and I give our kids credit for that."

The Hilltoppers know they need to do a better job closing out games in the fourth quarter. After Hinsdale Central surged to a double-digit lead last Friday, Lyons Twp. rallied from a 21-point deficit and outscored Glenbard West 27-10 in the fourth quarter to pull out the 62-58 win on Saturday.

Glenbard West looks to end its three-game Silver losing streak Friday at home against Proviso West.

California Dreamin':

Last Thursday Timothy Christian returned from an enjoyable - and exhausting - 11-day trip to California.

The trip was the result of the school's "Renew" term created by principal Brad Mitchell, an in-between-semester program designed to engage students in course work, internships, service experience and travel. Some students embarked on trips to Honduras and Ireland, while others participated in local activities.

The basketball team went to southern California.

"Everything with the trip exceeded every expectation," said Trojans coach Jack LeGrand. "It was just a tremendous experience for all of us. It was exhausting, just with the planning and everything. But it was all worth it."

During the 11-day whirlwind the team, based in a rented house in Anaheim, participated in several service activities. They attended UCLA and Los Angeles Clippers games and received an amazing tour of Dodger Stadium from team senior adviser Ned Colletti, whose children went to Timothy Christian.

They played two games and practiced three other days to keep their basketball legs going.

LeGrand said his players each wrote reflection papers focusing on the impact the trip had on their lives. Last Friday all the students reunited at the school to talk about their experiences.

Needless to say, the basketball players had plenty of stories to tell.

"It's hard to say basketball took a back seat on our trip, but it did," LeGrand said. "That's the bigger picture of the experience for us."

Hosts with the most:

Between Friday and Monday, Wheaton Warrenville South went through every conceivable emotion you can have on a basketball court.

The peak was the Tigers' third straight win, a stunning upset victory over Notre Dame in the second round of the WW South Martin Luther King Tournament. The valley was a pair of Monday losses, including a tough overtime loss to Benet in the tourney's third-place game.

The lows, though, didn't tarnish the Tigers' accomplishments during a rugged stretch of schedule. They would have preferred a 5-0 record to 3-2 over the four-day span, but the Tigers still feel last weekend went a long way toward pointing them in the right direction as they inch closer to the postseason.

"It was a great five-game stretch for us," said WW South coach Mike Healy. "I wish we could have gotten one or two more wins, but it was good for us."

Senior guard Josh Ruggles earned all-tournament honors after scoring 82 points in the four games. That came on the heels of Friday's 28-point performance in a DuPage Valley Conference win over Glenbard North.

Between the steady improvement of seniors Austin Polezoes, Joe Metzger and Will Granberry, and the emergence of several juniors including Eric Rasch. Matt Dacy-Seijo and Ryan Scudder, WW South will be an interesting team to watch the next several weeks.

"It's a fun group," Healy said. "We talk about making a breakthrough, and I feel like we did. We just want to try to get over that hump a little bit more."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.