St. Edward rattles Westminster Christian
St. Edward's basketball team used a 10-0 surge to break open a tight game late in the third quarter on the way to a 60-46 victory over Westminster Christian during the second round of the Warriors' 12th annual Thanksgiving Tournament Tuesday night in Elgin.
Clinging to a 35-31 lead with 4:43 left in the third quarter, the Green Wave (2-0) went on a 22-5 run over the next 7-plus minutes to seal the decision.
Gio Gonnella ignited the run with his own putback before sophomore Erik Hill's reverse layup and 3-point basket, and a 3-point play by J.P. McGuire extended the margin to 49-33 in the final minute of the third quarter.
"We ran a few sets and we ran them pretty well," said Green Wave coach Andy Zielinski. "We're young and we're trying to find out what we're good at right now."
Against Westminster, St. Edward was good at forcing turnovers.
Led by David Hill's 7 steals and McGuire's 5 steals, the Green Wave recorded 27 steals and forced 34 Warrior turnovers, a statistic that stood out for first-year Westminster coach Damion Abrams.
"We've been working really hard at trying to take care of the ball," said Abrams. "If we could just cut the turnovers in half, it would make a huge difference. When we give the ball away like we did, there's no chance to win the game."
For much of the night, the Warriors did remain within striking distance in spite of the giveaways.
Despite committing 17 first-half turnovers, Westminster trailed 29-24 at the intermission. Senior Brett Barker scored 8 of his team-high 11 points in the first 2 quarters.
Gonnella led the Green Wave with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, while Erik Hill finished with 15 points and David Hill added 14 points.
"I felt like we brought a lot more intensity (in the second half," said Erik Hill, who canned three 3-pointers during his 11-point third quarter. "We ran through our sets better and we got more open shots."
The game was a homecoming of sorts for Zielinski, who guided Westminster to a 3-year record of 57-27 before taking the helm at St. Edward.
"We played here in the summer so I think that kind of helped," said the coach. "Last night (62-55 win over Hinckley-Big Rock) was a little strange being back in this gym but after getting one night in, everybody knows you're on the other side so it's a little bit easier."
Freshman Justin Glanzer added 10 points for the Warriors, while senior guard Will Kmieciak had 7 points and 8 rebounds.
"These games are huge against teams the caliber of St. Edward," said Abrams. "I'm trying to get the kids to focus on our conference games."