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Brown's double-double sparks Glenbard South over Glenbard East

Beating a local rival three times in a season is not an easy task.

But Glenbard South didn't have to worry about any lack of motivation in its third meeting against Glenbard East on Thursday night.

That's because the Raiders can lean on junior forward Jalen Brown to supply his boundless energy and drive to offset any level of malaise.

And Brown delivered with another stunning performance for a player with limited basketball experience. Brown tallied a double-double of 15 points and 20 rebounds in a 57-31 rout over Glenbard East in Upstate Eight Conference boys basketball play.

"Before the game, I felt the buildup was good and we got mentally ready to play," Brown said. "My teammates helped me a lot by boxing out."

The Raiders (11-13, 7-8) also received solid guard play, with Armon Yarbrough (18 points) and D'Manuel Payton (14 points) combining with Brown to form a lethal combination for the Rams to stop.

"We came out and played hard and did what we needed to do to get the win," Yarbrough said. "We all played great, passed the ball well and we all did good things to get the win today. We came out and played well from the start."

The late 8:05 p.m. weekday start didn't affect Brown's enthusiasm or dogged desire to attempt to grab every 50-50 ball and rebound. Even though Brown's future is on the football field, he looked like a next-level basketball player. He put the exclamation point on a stunning performance - mix of athleticism and nonstop motor - with a steal at half-court en route to a one-handed power dunk to increase the lead to 40-26 late in the third quarter.

"I saw the open lane, and that (dunk) felt pretty good," Brown said, smiling. "This was a good victory."

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder dominated the glass in the first half, compiling 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Raiders to a 27-22 advantage. He attacked the interior for loose balls, often grabbing multiple rebounds in the same possession. Brown extended many possessions with his relentless work on the offensive boards, plus snatched many of his rebounds in a forceful manner to avoid any possibility of a turnover.

"He's been doing it all year long, a high energy guy who has that motor," Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke said of Brown. "When he gets going, he tends to pull the rest of us with him."

Glenbard East (7-19, 7-8) stayed within striking distance for the first two-plus quarters mainly on the prolific shooting of Trevor Rehnstrom. The sophomore guard canned four 3-pointers in the first half to finish with 16 points.

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