Powers provides spark in Glenbard South's victory over Streamwood
The Glenbard South student section was chanting "overrated" at Streamwood star Keenon Cole on Friday night.
They should have been chanting "underrated" at Glenbard South's Tommy Powers.
The two forwards put on quite a show. Cole, a 6-foot-7 Northern Illinois recruit, not surprisingly poured in a game-high 28 points and 8 rebounds in the Upstate Eight Conference game.
But Powers, an unsigned 6-3 forward, erupted for a personal-best 25 points to lead the Raiders to a 64-47 win in Glen Ellyn.
Powers, who said his previous high was "maybe 17 or 18," sank 9 of 11 shots, including all four 3-point attempts, and went 5 of 6 from the line.
"I just trusted my teammates to get me open looks," Powers said. "Thankfully, I was able to knock down some shots."
Powers scored 9 points in the first quarter, then tallied 5 straight points in the second quarter on a 3-pointer and a layup during an 11-0 run that gave the Raiders (5-2, 3-1) a 32-20 cushion.
With all eyes focused on the electric Cole, Powers' performance came as a surprise to many, though not those who know him well.
"I thought if we got him the open looks he'd hit the shots that he needs to hit," said Glenbard South center Ryan Harrington. "He's had some good games."
And more may be in the offing, according to Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke.
"Absolutely. Tommy definitely is a strong scorer," Hardtke said. "He can certainly shoot the ball and now he's getting aggressive using his dribble and it just makes him a multidimensional threat."
Despite Powers' big game, Glenbard South's offense was multidimensional and that played a huge role in the win. Tavion Keith scored 12 points to go with 3 assists, while Cole Hardtke added 8 points and 6-8 Harrington had 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks for the Raiders, who used crisp ball movement to overcome Streamwood's size advantage inside.
"So far, every game we've gotten a little bit better," Wade Hardtke said. "It may be a little something here or a little something there, but each game we've improved in some area."
The improvement came on defense in this game. Cole made 5 straight shots at one point, but 11 of his points came in the fourth quarter after the Raiders had extended their lead to 52-34.
The Sabres (3-6, 2-2) didn't give Cole much help. Fellow 6-7 senior Nikola Sinik scored 10 points, but the rest of the team combined for only 9. The futility was most evident in the second quarter, when Streamwood shot 1 of 11 and was outscored 18-6.
"I thought defensively we had a great second quarter," Wade Hardtke said. "We held them to 6 points and that really helped us gain some momentum and gain some confidence."
Indeed, Powers said the Raiders were not intimidated.
"We knew they had some talented players and we just wanted to make sure we could match them up as best we could," Powers said. "It's nice to keep that momentum going, build up some confidence in this new conference."