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Taylor, Glenbard West move past St. Charles East

Evan Taylor's offensive game warrants plenty of attention.

The Glenbard West senior guard has a number of awe-inspiring moves, from his crossover to James Harden-like stepback jumper.

Taylor sparked the Hilltoppers with a game-high 29 points in a 71-59 win over St. Charles East in nonconference action on Wednesday in Glen Ellyn.

Corey Williams scored seven of his 11 points in the first quarter, while Carter Lindstrom added 10 and Caden Phillips chipped in with 9 points and 10 rebounds for the Hilltoppers (15-5).

The Saints (11-10) received 14 points from Mark Musial and 12 from Cody Mitchell.

But Taylor, a Southern Illinois University recruit, also made a big difference on the defensive end. His long arms, quick feet and length held Musial scoreless in the second half. The St. Charles East sharpshooter torched Glenbard West's 2-3 zone with 4 first-half 3s.

The 6-foot-6 Taylor gleamed with pride discussing his defensive play shadowing Musial all over the court in a stifling man-to-man defense.

"I didn't cover (Musial) in the first half," Taylor said. "In the second half, when we went to the man, my job was to cover him. I think I did a good job making him feel uncomfortable. He was really comfortable in our zone. I didn't want to let him get a shot off. I can do so much more than just score. It feels good to play some good defense."

As usual, Taylor also showed that his trademark jumper could impact a game. After scoring 2 points in the first quarter and shooting an airball on a 3-pointer late in the second, Taylor torched the Saints for 16 points in the second half to help the Hilltoppers win their fourth straight game.

"My shots started falling and I started feeling comfortable," Taylor said.

The Saints led for almost the entire second quarter until Taylor got hot late in the quarter.

"(Taylor) did a nice job keeping (Musial) in check," St. Charles East coach Patrick Woods said. "I thought offensively he hit a lot of tough shots. We defended him well, but he knocked down shots. They are a good team, well-coached and Taylor is really tough."

Taylor shredded the Saints with jumpers in the third, hitting a 3 to open the half, scoring on a drive, adding another 3 and draining an 18-footer before finishing with a 3-point play.

Aided by the tough inside play from Phillips and Taylor's offense and defense, the Hilltoppers led 46-39 after three quarters. Glenbard West scored on its first seven fourth-quarter possessions to pull away from the Saints.

"Caden did a great job and makes things so much easier for me," Taylor said. "He does a great job on the offensive and defensive glass and a good finisher."

Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder praised the 6-6, 215-pounder Phillips for sparking the Hilltoppers. Before exiting the game with a minor foot injury midway in the fourth, Phillips extended several possessions with his offensive rebounding.

"He works really hard on the glass, is a good jumper and some nights you work and it doesn't always show up on your rebounding totals," he said. "It showed tonight."

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