Hernandez, Davis spark Glenbard North's win over Buffalo Grove
Glenbard North's duo of J.J. Hernandez and Donald Davis was a little bit to much to handle in the second half against Buffalo Grove at the Wheeling Hardwood Classic Monday afternoon.
Hernandez, a 6-foot 6 sophomore recorded a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds in the Panthers' 55-54 win over the 6-5 Bison.
"He's a young sophomore and has a lot of potential," said Glenbard North coach Kevin Tonn. "He can be a dangerous player. He works hard and it was good to see his results today."
The Panthers (6-5) started out with a 5-0 lead before Buffalo Grove started to roll. The Bison trailed 9-4 before they went on a 13-0 run to end the first quarter ahead 17-9.
Buffalo Grove led 25-14 with 5:22 left in the first half following an Adidas Davis (18 points) 3-pointer.
Glenbard North chipped away to stay within range at 37-29 at the halftime break.
"At halftime we talked about stepping up our defense," said Davis. "We were slouching on defense in the first half. We were able to stop their drives to the basket."
The Panthers used an 11-2 run to take the lead back at 40-39 after a basket by Hernandez.
BG finished the third quarter up one at 45-44.
A basket by Daniels on an assist from Josh Applewhite (8 points, 4 assists), which was followed by a putback from Hernandez, gave the Panthers a 51-48 lead.
A layup by Jacob Heinrich pulled the Bison to 53-52 with 44 seconds left. Payton Bowser (9 points) and Hernandez combined for 4 free throws for a 55-52 lead with six seconds left.
"I feel like I can make the big plays," said Hernandez. "I have confidence in my game. It seems the more I play, the confidence gets rolling. Our defense really helped get our momentum going."
"We had to make adjustments to slow down Davis," said Tonn. "Our defense will give us a chance to win against good teams like Buffalo Grove."
The Bison had balanced scoring after Davis. David VanHoy and Conner Woodin each had 8 points. Aidan Romanski and Josh Grate each had 7 points.
"Our players battled and we had some good looks down the stretch but the ball didn't fall. It was just one of those nights," said Buffalo Grove coach Keith Peterson. "Hernandez came up with some big plays for them."
Glenbard North will face powerful Glenbrook South Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.
"We know Glenbrook South is a tough team," said Davis. "We're looking forward to playing them. We want to play teams like that."