Glenbard West gets payoff, busts slump
January hasn't been very kind to the Glenbard West boys basketball team, but maybe its 63-49 win over West Suburban Silver foe Proviso West can get the Hilltoppers going in 2015.
The Hilltoppers got out to an 11-2 start and held the lead throughout the game break its four-game losing streak.
"We needed to win a close game because we've been on the other end of that quite a bit, so it's good for our kids," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. "I think it's good because they've had a good week of practice, they've worked hard, they've been beating each other up this week and it's nice for them to have a payoff."
A pair of juniors helped keep the Hilltoppers composed under the Panthers' high pressure and also helped add some tough points in the paint down low.
Point guard Alex Passi's contribution was more than just his game-high 25 points. The junior did well breaking down Proviso West's full-court pressure with his dribbling and smart passing. Passi's composure also showed on the free-throw line, going 14 of 17.
"I think it shows how important it is for us to have him on the floor," Hoder said of his point guard. "We have to be able to handle that type of pressure. It's good experience for him. It's something that we have to get better at. It's hard to duplicate that kind of quickness in practice so I thought the kids … did better executing what we wanted to execute."
The Hilltoppers (7-10, 2-4) capitalized on some poor shooting from Proviso West. The Panthers (6-9, 1-5) struggled in the first half, shooting 3 of 21 from the field, 6 of 11 from the free-throw line.
Glenbard West went into halftime up 23-12, a lead it needed because the two teams battled in the third and fourth quarters, with Glenbard West narrowly outscoring the Panthers 40-37 in the second half.
Along with Passi, it was fellow junior Justin Pierce who helped the Hilltoppers keep their lead.
Though he didn't have his best night shooting, Pierce did a good job driving to the basket and getting his free throws in. The forward had 19 points going 5 of 8 from the free-throw line in the second half.
"It's a big step up for us," Passi said of Pierce. "If you look at our stats for this season, our 3-point percentage is lower than usual. So we're trying to get him more inside because he's so long and he's getting stronger where he can finish off the contact. Now he's more of a dual threat."
The Hilltoppers also got to the free-throw line a lot, going 28 of 42.