Tompson, Bartlett stave off Schaumburg

After Schaumburg senior guard Aaron Kline had connected on a pair of foul shots to bring his team within 4 points at 45-41 with just 3:40 left, Bartlett's Ben Tompson knew his team needed to respond on the defensive end as the Saxons inbounded the basketball.

"I knew we needed to regain the momentum," Tompson said of the free throws which came as a result of a technical having been called on his teammates. "We had built a lead by playing together as a team, and we had to preserve it."

As a result of picking off the inbounds pass and laying it up for the final 2 of team-high 13 points, the 6-foot junior guard helped preserve a 52-48 Hawks win Wednesday night in nonconference play.

"I was really happy with our ball movement as we were able to take advantage of the good looks we had early on," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "Schaumburg is a very nice team that is especially pesky on defense, and I was pleased with our recognition of that and how we were able to make the needed adjustments that created those openings that we successfully attacked."

Bartlett (12-8) went on an 8-0 run in the second period to break free from an 18-all tie as consecutive 3s from Jake Ibegbulum and Drew Martin and a successful drive into the lane by Austin Gates gave the Hawks a 26-20 halftime lead.

Martin (12 points) helped maintain the edge with a trio of 3s in the third quarter, giving Bartlett its biggest lead at 35-26 with 5:30 remaining in the period.

Schaumburg (8-11) responded with a 7-0 tear that pulled it within 35-33. The spurt started with Kline's third trey and was followed by back-to-back hoops in the paint from Michael Hodges.

Bartlett responded with a bucket from Tompson and back-to-back scores from 6-foot-2 junior guard Tomas Vikonis (11 points) to grab a 41-35 lead heading to the fourth.

That final quarter was a frustrating one for the Saxons, who pulled within 4 points on five occasions. Ultimately, 5-for-17 shooting from the floor was too much to overcome.

"Bartlett is a solid team where if you fail to capitalize on the opportunities that are given to you, you're not gonna win," said Schaumburg coach Wade Heisler.

Kline led all scorers with 15 points, and Hodges, a 6-1 sophomore, had 14.

"Aaron's been a consistent threat for us outside all season, and for Mike his ceiling is so high that as he learns more he'll become more of a factor," Heisler said.

The Upstate Eight Valley-leading Hawks next have a Friday night trip to face Tai Bibbs and West Chicago.

"Bibbs is awesome and they are extremely tough at home," Tompson said. "We know that if we're going to have a chance we need to play good team basketball."

A return to Mid-Suburban West play is on the Saxons' schedule, with undefeated frontrunner Fremd visiting on Friday evening.

"They are an extremely sound team," Heisler said of Fremd. "We need to be prepared to face them."