Robinson, Oswego East dominate Downers North

Aggressiveness and discipline are two words rarely seen in the same sentence.

Oswego East forward Patrick Robinson mastered both concepts on Saturday.

The 6-foot-5 senior scored his team's first eight points and the Wolves never looked back in easing past host Downers Grove North 50-33 at the Downers Grove North Winter Classic.

Robinson led all players with 14 points and also had a team-high four steals and three assists as Oswego East (17-1) led by as many as 25 points.

With both teams having played Friday night, and Downers North coming off a 53-20 licking at the hands of top-ranked Glenbard West, Robinson knew which approach to take.

"We came out to a really good start and we jumped on them," Robinson said. "That's what we emphasize, especially after having a game last night.

"Whoever comes out strong is going to end up winning the game."

Robinson was the catalyst early, sinking a 3-pointer, then an inside basket and finally a traditional three-point play. He followed that by assisting on DeVon Oregon's 3-pointer that gave the Wolves an 11-3 lead.

"Patrick can guard multiple people and is very versatile in that sense to be able to lock down the ball and get rebounds for us," Oswego East coach Ryan Velasquez said. "We really stress that.

"And offensively he can shoot it."

Robinson, who scored 12 of his points in the first half as the Wolves jumped out to a 29-11 lead, said his early outburst wasn't planned.

"Coach always wants everybody on the court to be aggressive," Robinson said. "It just happened to me today being able to get to the basket.

"I got a couple good takes, got us going early."

Robinson had an ample amount of help on the offensive end. Oregon had nine of his 13 points in the first half and shot 5-for-8, while Mekhi Lowery added nine points and seven rebounds and reserves Ryan Johnson and Joey Patti tallied six points each.

"I feel like we have a bunch of guys that are unselfish," Robinson said. "We all come together.

"We all like seeing each other win, so we always know whose night it is. So if somebody's hot, they're going to get the ball.

"That goes for anybody. It could literally be anybody on the team."

Nobody was hot for Downers North (8-5), which made only three baskets in the first half and shot just 30%. Finn Kramper led the Trojans with 12 points, all on 3-pointers, but three of those treys came after the game was out of reach.

North's struggles were a reflection of how tough Oswego East played defensively, especially in the Wolves' zone defense.

"I think we played really disciplined today," Robinson said. "We sat in the gaps like we should.

"We watched some of their film from the last few games they played. We pretty much knew what they were going to want to do with the ball.

"They've got some really good bigs, got a couple decent shooters, so we just played them the right way."

That approach enabled the Wolves to hold the Trojans without a basket during a 10-minute stretch bridging the second and third quarters.

"I liked our start," Velasquez said. "We haven't had the best of luck at this shootout over the years, so I thought our guys brought good energy coming off a game from last night.

"We were really able to defend for a period of time. We all know how important it is to be connected and on the same page on the defensive end, and that gave us a little bit of confidence on the offensive end."

Robinson said the Wolves are playing with confidence and having fun.

"We're having the time of our lives right now," Robinson said. "We know what's ahead of us going on into March. We have high hopes for this team and I expect nothing less from us."