advertisement

Palatine's up for the challenge against Lyons

Palatine thrived in early morning wake-up mode in shooting past Lyons 53-44 Tuesday in the opening round of the 44th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York in Elmhurst.

Playing at 10 a.m., Palatine didn't let the setting slow it down.

"Sometime you just hold your breath, because you don't know what team is going to show up," Palatine coach Eric Millstone said. "It was the game right after Christmas, but I thought our guys did a real good job of bringing some energy."

Most of that energy came from the inside play of Cortez Hogans and Johnny O'Shea, who combined for 38 points and 13 rebounds.

"Between Cortez and Johnny, they gave us more than enough offense," Millstone said. "Collectively, we have to do a better job inside on the defensive end."

Despite the early start, Palatine (9-3) had plenty of spark to start the game. Led by O'Shea, the Pirates scored the first 6 points of the game on their way to a 17-4 advantage after the first quarter.

"We just wanted to start off as fast as we can," said O'Shea, who finished with 18 points. "We were just trying to be physical with them."

With Lyons (4-7) sagging on O'Shea, it opened up the inside for Hogans, and the Northern Illinois football recruit didn't disappoint. He took charge early in the third quarter as the Pirates opened up a 37-22 lead with 3:34 left in the third quarter

"Coach said we had to bring some energy," said Hogans, who had 8 rebounds to go along with his career-high 20 points. "We tried to stay to the basics and do what we do best. I guess the early bird does get the worm."

Lyons finally awoke and the Lions clawed their way back. Lyons score the next 6 points on their way to a 14-2 run and suddenly it was 39-39 Palatine with 5:16 to play.

"The trick has been trying to sustain it for the full four quarters," Millstone said. "For us it has been a mental issue than a physical issue. But for the most part, we did a pretty good job of keeping a good focus."

A 3-point play by Hogans and a basket by O'Shea gave the Pirates some breathing room with a 44-36 lead with 3:33 left.

It was 45-38 when Luke Garrett came up with a pair of huge plays for the Pirates. Inserted when Evan Daly went out with a left ankle injury, Garrett had a pair of steals that enabled Palatine to pull away.

Garrett's first steal turned into a a monster slam by Hogans after a Palatine timeout. On the ensuing Lyons possession, Garrett poked the ball free and then went into for a layup that ended up being a 3-point play and a Palatine 50-38 lead with 1:57 left.

"We were working well together on defense," Garrett said. "We got tip on one ball and I got poke on another. And then Hogans' big dunk got us going."

Palatine got 5 points from Lamon Berry and 4 points from freshman Julian Campbell.

The Pirates will meet St. Laurence in the second round of the tournament at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.