Conant too tall a task for Schaumburg
Schaumburg second-year boys basketball coach Wade Heisler likes to try and replicate the tendencies of his next opponent, an attempt to get familiar with what the Saxons will face in game competition.
But there are times, Heisler admits, when there are certain things you can't replicate.
Such as when you go up against a team that has a front line of 6-foot-9, 6-8 and 6-4 - while on your own roster, the upper end of the height spectrum is 6-2.
Such was the challenge facing the host Saxons on Friday night against reigning MSL champion and Class 4A Elite Eight qualifier Conant. And as a result of that big front line of Ryan Davis, Mike Downing and Ben Schols, the Cougars used a 10-0 start over the game's first two and a half minutes to earn a 57-41 win in the opening round of MSL West play.
"You don't ever want the final score to mask the things that you both accomplish and fail to accomplish during the course of a game," said 32nd-year Conant coach Tom McCormack. "By contrast, if you're on the losing end of that final score you can't let it mask the things you accomplish and fail to accomplish on that end, either."
The visiting squad got things started just 27 seconds in as Davis fed Bucknell commit Jimmy Sotos (game-high 21 points) for the first of his 3 first-quarter 3s. Sotos followed in gift-giving mode with a feed to Schols inside 23 ticks later.
After Sotos connected one 1 of 2 from the foul line to make it 6-0, he then fed Downing for a slam that got the visiting Cougar student section known as the Cougar Crazies going.
Downing then had one of his 4 blocks and then converted a putback to put Conant up 10-0.
After a pair of free throws from senior forward Dan Pyde got Schaumburg on the board, consecutive 3s from Danny Ranallo and Sotos made it a 16-2 Conant advantage with 3:23 left in the opening quarter.
Four straight points from junior guard Jerry Clark (who shared team-high honors with 6-2 senior forward Kameron Powell with 8) got the Saxons (2-3, 0-1) within 16-6 at the 2:12 mark.
Davis, the junior third-year varsity center, dominated the next eight minutes, scoring 10 of his 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting that gave Conant (5-1, 1-0) a 31-14 edge at the break.
"Our size advantage is one of our great strengths," said Davis, who added 11 rebounds and 6 blocks. "When we're able to take advantage of it, we can force our opponents into having to not only defend myself and Mike inside, but our outside game with Ben, Jimmy, Danny, and C.J. (Deshazer) coming off the bench."
"A lot of our opportunities come off our size on both ends of the floor," McCormack said. "Not only because of the size advantage with Ryan and Mike, but when you add Ben in the mix . . . He doesn't get a lot of credit, but the things he adds to the table makes us stronger."
Heisler did see some positives, particularly in the final period where his team outscored Conant 19-11.
"Conant is extremely talented and I think in large part to the respect that we have for coach McCormack and his squad, we were a little timid at the start," Heisler said. "But I also think our guys played much better as the game wore on. I feel like it is a good indicator of what we can be as a team as the season goes on."