Barrington rolls past Buffalo Grove; will head home for sectional

Barrington got to the basket early and often Friday at the Class 4A boys basketball regional final at Buffalo Grove.

The Broncos raced out to a huge lead and never looked back as the top-seeded team in the Barrington sectional beat Buffalo Grove 61-34 behind Will Grudzinski's 27 points.

"The kids did a nice job right from the start," Barrington coach Bryan Tucker said. "We played comfortable and aggressive. The game is always easier when shots are falling."

With the win Barrington (25-4) will head back home as the Broncos, which have now 12 in a row, will be hosting the sectional next week.

"I liked how our kids responded playing at (BG's) gym," Tucker said. "

Barrington, which will be making its first sectional appearance since 2017, will meet Fremd on Tuesday. The fifth-seeded Vikings beat Hersey 60-27 Friday.

The Broncos were able to get to the rack early, scoring their first four baskets via layups from Evan Jno-Baptiste, Grudzinski, Daniel Hong and Jon-Baptiste as they opened up a 13-2 lead.

"I had some opportunities early and I took them " said Jon-Baptiste, who finished with 10 points. "I try to do what my team needs me to do. It did open us up for our outside game, so that helped."

With its ability to get inside, it opened up the outside shooting for Barrington. Grudzinski took advantage of the open spaces, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers.

Barrington converted 11 of its first 16 shots, including 5-of-8 from outside the arc as it built a 31-8 lead midway through the second quarter.

"I came out with confidence," said Grudzinski, who had 5 3-pointers. "Then I started hitting my shots. I thought we set the tone defensively and took control throughout the game."

It was that Barrington defense that has been the key to the Broncos' run in the second half of the season. Barrington has limited its opponents to an average just under 35 points during that span.

"I thought defensively we did a great job," Tucker said. "We were trying to lock in. They have some kids who can really score. It is important to come out and hang your hat with your defense."

Buffalo Grove (14-18) made a run behind Adidas Davis and was able to close to 33-17 at the half. Barrington then went on a 15-5 run to put the game away.

Barrington got 11 points from Hong while Nate Boldt had 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Buffalo Grove was led by Davis, who had 21 points, and David Van Hoy who had 5 points.

"I thought we played really hard," Buffalo Grove coach Keith Peterson said. "I told our team that to get to this point was such an accomplishment with how this season went on. Nobody would have expected it. No one expected us to have a competitive year. We lost to a lot of good teams this year. I am proud of the way the guys stayed with it. "