Glenbard West Holiday Classic Recap: Day 2

Final Score:

Timothy Christian 53, Addison Trail 52

Summary

The Blazers (0-2) led for most of the game keeping Timothy Christian (1-1) an arm’s length away. The Trojans could not stop the dribble penetration and easy inside buckets by Addison Trail. Down by as much as 7, the Trojans worked away, chipping into the lead, going in front for good with less than a minute to go.

Key Players

• Danny Leach (TC): 22 pts. We noticed yesterday that Leach took over in the 4^th quarter to make it an interesting game, and he did so again here. He only hit a pair of threes, but he got to the hoop and to the line. He scored the final 4 points for Timothy, willing them to victory.

• Matthew Morrison (TC): 5 pts. Wasn’t much of an offensive factor, missing a bunch of layups, but came up huge on defense. He had at least 3 steals in the 4^th quarter, and forced a lot of bad passes. I wish defense was shown a little better in a box score, because he deserves a lot of credit.

• James Pupillo (AT): 15 pts. Was huge throughout the game, hitting several big shots, driving the lane with ease, and playing tough defense. But he made a bone-headed decision on the final play. The Blazers called timeout with about 8 seconds left down 3. Pupillo was playing the point. You figure he’d pass off to Varinder Kalsi, right? Instead, he passed inside to center Ricky Diaz for a layup. Terrible basketball IQ that could have cost his team a shot at overtime.

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Final Score:

St. Charles East 47, Wheaton Academy 46

Summary

The Saints (2-0) led 8-0 early before Wheaton (1-1) started to wake up offensively. It was a tie game at the half and after the 3^rd quarter, with Wheaton getting leads before the Saints came back to tie. Wheaton looked poised to take the game in the 4^th, but the Saints came up with late heroics (see below). St. Charles is now in prime position to go to the title game.

Key Players

• Luke Ludke (SCE): 6 pts. But he had the biggest 2 points of the game. St. Charles called timeout with 2.9 ticks left after Wheaton went up 46-45 on a free throw. The inbounds went to Ludke, who went from the halfcourt line, ran all but unopposed to the elbow and banked home a game-winner [insert Gus Johnson-esque finish here].
• Dominic Adduci (SCE): 15 pts. Adduci didn’t rely on the three as much today, instead driving to the basket, though he did hit a crucial 3 in the 4^th quarter before the heroics. I thought for sure he was going to get the final shot, but I’m sure he’ll take the win.
• Drew Sandberg (WA): 11 pts. Geoffy and I figured he’d be more of an offensive factor yesterday, but it wasn’t needed. He needed it today, getting to the line multiple times, plus some layups. It should be noted that it was Sandberg at the line with 2.9 seconds left. He missed the first, drastically altering the game, making it possible for Ludke’s heroics.

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Final Score:

Leyden 66, West Chicago 55

Summary

Leyden (2-0) jumped out to an early lead they would never relinquish. They led by 11 at the break after another great game by their backcourt. The Wildcats (0-2) were able to stay closer tonight compared to yesterday (24 point defecit at half), but couldn’t get closer than about 8 points.

Key Players

• Alex Hererra (LEY): 32 pts. He went off for 17 in the first half, 11 coming in the opening quarter. He went probably 5-7 from beyond the arc, all makes coming before the half, including a buzzer beater in the 2^nd. In the second he drove the lane, getting points almost at will.
• Jonathan Woolf (LEY): 13 pts. Definitely the favorite for 6^th man of the tournament. He hit one three, and came up with a few big free throws near the end. He’s a major guy to watch out for.
• Justin Mundt (WC): 20 pts. He kept West Chicago close throughout, hitting a bunch of free throws again, and getting to the basket. It’s just been too bad he hasn’t had enough help to give the Wildcats a win yet.

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Final Score

Glenbard West 48, Fenton 30

Summary

This was a defensive struggle throughout, with both teams struggling to score early. Then the Hilltoppers (2-0) went on a little run, leading 11-4 before the Bison (0-2) got back to within 2, but they wouldn't get any closer. It was 16-9 at the half, and 21-14 after 3, but then the Hilltoppers finally started getting shots to fall. Both teams had a lot of turnovers, but Fenton couldn't take advantage, while Glenbard did.

Key Players

• Michael Mache (GBW) 14 pts. No dunks for him tonight, but he did what he needed to do: get inside and get some easy buckets, and hit some free throws. He was the leading scorer (possible I'm off on the number of points by a couple either way), but he was the leading scorer.
• Vernon Harris (GBW) 11 pts. Did so off the bench. Will challenge Jonathan Woolf for 6th man of the tournament, and made his case today by getting to the basket in the 2nd half.
• Colin Wallace (FEN) 19 pts. Led his team, but when you score almost two-thirds of your team's points, you won't win many games. He was hounded much of the day, yet showed some signs of life early in the second half before the turnover bug really started to bite. Nonetheless, he's a good player.

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Tomorrow decides the fate of the teams for who plays for the title. A quick rundown is as follows:

White Pool

• St. Charles East (2-0) clinches 1st place with a win over Timothy Christian.
• Timothy Christian (1-1) clinches 1st place with a win over St. Charles East AND Wheaton Academy loss to Addison Trail OR Wheaton Academy win plus Wheaton gives up 12 more points than Timothy Christian.
• Wheaton Academy (1-1) clinches 1st place with a win over Addison Trail AND Timothy Christian win over St. Charles East plus Wheaton gives up no more than 11 points more than Timothy Christian.
• Addison Trail (0-2) is eliminated from contention.

Green Pool

• Glenbard West (2-0) clinches 1st place with a win over Leyden.
• Leyden (2-0) clinches 1st place with a win over Glenbard West.
• West Chicago (0-2) is eliminated from contention.
• Fenton (0-2) is eliminated from contention.

The Green Pool is simple, the White Pool not so much, but that should cover it. St. Charles East-Timothy Christian is at 3 tomorrow, Wheaton Academy-Addison Trail at 4:30, Fenton-West Chicago is at 6:30, and Leyden-Glenbard West is at 8.