Wheeling's new look subdues Vernon Hills
Using a different defensive look seems to be paying off for Wheeling.
The Wildcats used their effective 1-3-1 defense to their benefit as they claimed their victory of the season Wednesday.
Wheeling topped Vernon Hills 43-38 in the Battle of the Ridge tournament at Northside College Prep in Niles.
The Wildcats (1-1) were led by TJ Best with a team-high 14 points. Ari Helfand came off the bench to drop in a game-high 15 for the Cougars (0-2), all on 3s.
"Last year, we went primarily man-to-man and started to press more toward the end of the season," Wheeling coach Michael O'Keeffe said. "We lost a lot of seniors and we decided to go with a 1-3-1. It fits our kids well and they're excited to play it. Not a lot of teams play against a 1-3-1. It takes a lot of time to prepare for it and we're trying to use it to our advantage."
Wheeling held a 14-10 lead after the first quarter and extended the lead to 10 with an 8-2 advantage in the second quarter to lead 22-12 at the break.
"Holding (Vernon Hills) to 2 points was awesome," O'Keeffe said. "However, (Helfand) caught fire by the end. We're still learning how to play the 1-3-1 and the kids will keep working on it and listening to the coaches. I think it will be good for us."
The Wildcats led 33-24 entering the final quarter, but the Cougars clawed their way back. Helfand sank 4 of his 5 threes to narrow the lead to 3. His last one came from the right side of the arc with 1:13 left and made the score 41-38.
Vernon Hills got the ball back after a missed free throw from Wheeling and had a chance to tie. But the Cougars had a key turnover and had missed a couple of 3s the rest of the way.
Jalen Dennis made a couple of free throws for Wheeling down the stretch. He also picked off a Vernon Hills pass in the final couple of minutes and went the length of the court for a layup.
"I was just listening to the coaches and they were saying to cheat up a little higher," Dennis said. "I just went out, made the play and finished it. I think with the 1-3-1 defense, it opens up your vision and you can see a lot more from the standpoint that you're behind everyone and you can read the offensive players' eyes. It definitely helped out a lot."
For Vernon Hills, it was a resilient comeback - especially for a team missing six players from its roster. Football players Avery Foster, Payton Foster, Jack Himel, Max Lyle, Chris Mariela and Luke Perlin are preparing for Saturday morning's state title game against Peoria.
"You just have to make some 3s," Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. "You have to make them. Thank goodness, we had Ari Helfand come off the bench, and he got us back in the game there. We had a the ball and a chance to tie, but we had an empty possession.
"Give a lot of credit to Wheeling, that's a good 1-3-1. You don't get too many good looks from the wings. We're just down a lot of guys. There are some positives and I like how we got ourselves back into the game. But you have to shoot the ball better."