ICCP heats up, sinks St. Edward in 2nd half
For one quarter Tuesday, the IC Catholic Prep Knights could hardly make a shot. Then they couldn't miss.
They missed just 4 field-goal attempts and 1 free throw over the final 3 quarters, and 2 of those were hurried buzzer-beaters.
The Knights' marksmanship allowed them to overcome a 10-point first-half deficit and down St. Edward, 54-50, in a Metro Suburban crossover in Elgin.
ICCP took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Wave 19-9 while making 7 of 10 field-goal attempts.
ICCP led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, then survived a late rally by the Green Wave (10-9).
"We had a slow start to the game," said IC coach TJ Tyrrell. "I thought we had some very good looks at the basket early on. We just couldn't get anything to fall. We dug ourselves a hole and had to claw our way back. I'm really proud of the effort from the free-throw line, I think we were 14 of 15, and that's what you've got to do to pull out these close games."
Dominic Gaudio scored 17 points for IC (8-8). He was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Chauncrey Lee added 14 points. Ryan Wojtalewicz contributed 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Michael Carpanzano scored all 8 of his points during the big third quarter.
"We trust what the coaches have and stick to the game plan," Gaudio said. "We trust that it's going to work. We've had some slow starts before and they preach to us to have a killer mentality. Never lose confidence, always go out there knowing we're going to win the game at the end."
Giovanni Gonnella scored 17 points and David Hill 15 for St. Edward.
"The third quarter was what really got us," said St. Edward coach Andy Zielinski. "When you score under 10 in a quarter, it usually comes back to bite you. I think we went up 28-21 and then just missed a lot of shots in the third. We've had a lot of games like this where we just seem to have 1 bad quarter."
After shooting just 2-for12 and falling behind 13-5 after 1 quarter, the Knights took the lid off the basket. They made all 4 field goal attempts and 6-of-7 free throws in the second quarter to get within 26-21 by halftime.
Then came the third-quarter barrage. Two of their 3 misses came in the final second of the quarter on a deep 3-point attempt and a hurried reverse tip-in that almost went in at the buzzer.
The Knights closed out the game making 4 of 5 shots from the field and all 6 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Despite that, the Wave fought back. After Lee's layup made it 50-39, Daniel Parks nailed a 3-pointer for St. Edward. With the Wave's pressure rattling the Knights a bit, Gonnella made 2 straight baskets, the second following a steal by JP McGuire and completing the 7-0 run. But that was as close as the Wave could get.