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Glenbard West falls to Oak Park

The last time Glenbard West matched up against West Suburban Silver-leading Oak Park-River Forest, the Hilltoppers poured in 55 points in a loss.

Friday night in Glen Ellyn, the result was the same but the Hilltoppers accumulated just 42 points and struggled to score all night outside of an 11-point outburst in the first four minutes. The result was a 55-42 loss to the Huskies.

"They pressure the ball so much, and when they have opportunities to trap they trap," Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder said. "They basically get you playing faster than you are comfortable playing and that's their style and they are very good at it. Even though you know it's coming, it's still a hard thing to beat."

Led by senior guard Isaiah Fuller's 6 points in that stretch, the Huskies (17-4, 8-0) went on a 10-2 run in the first 3:30 of the third quarter to stretch a 4-point halftime lead to double digits. Fuller finished the quarter with 9 points as the Hilltoppers (11-8, 3-5) couldn't inch closer than 9 the rest of the way.

Fuller finished the game with 19 points on 7 for 16 from the field and helped shut down the Hilltoppers' best player Evan Taylor, who finished with 8 points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field.

"He's (Fuller) been tremendous all year," OPRF coach Matt Maloney said. "Plays on both ends of the floor. He's covering a guy who has 5 or 6 inches on him (Taylor). We task him with guarding the best player on the other team."

Despite the happy result it took Fuller and the Huskies time to find their groove offensively.

It was the Hilltoppers who raced out to the early lead, charging ahead 11-2 within the first four minutes of the game. Glenbard West senior guard Nick Dwyer had 8 points, including two baskets from 3-point range. The Hilltoppers took two charges and Taylor had a block in a formidable defensive stretch of their own.

However, the Hilltoppers didn't score again in the last four minutes of the first quarter as a full-court press from the long, athletic OPRF team bothered them. The Huskies slowly climbed back into the game and found themselves down just two points after one quarter.

"There weren't too many breakdowns there it was more of Glenbard (West) being assertive and making plays early," Maloney said. "I think we tightened it up after that (11-2 run by Glenbard West to start the game) and we were a little sharper offensively."

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