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player ready...First, Elgin conquered its fear. Then, the Maroons overcame No. 16 St. Charles.
Playing tentatively in the first half, Elgin rallied in the fourth quarter Friday to beat St. Charles 63-61, the Saints’ third loss in four games.
“In the first half we didn’t attack their zone. We passed the ball on the perimeter and seemed scared to go inside and challenge (6-foot-7-inch Jason) Harmon,” said Elgin coach Jim Harrington. “In the second half, we got more aggressive and attacked the basket.”
Diere Hodges scored 13 points, including the go-ahead layup with 2 minutes 32 seconds to play for Elgin (10-5, 2-4). Rodney Clifton scored 16 and Corey Hodges added 10 for the Maroons, who hit 20 of 27 second-half free throws.
Harmon and Ben Zietz paced St. Charles (11-3, 4-2) with 16 apiece. The Saints committed eight fourth-quarter turnovers.
Joliet 82, Bolingbrook 52: Gary Bell scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the first half and No. 3 Joliet (15-0, 4-0) had 12-2 and 11-1 second-quarter runs to coast in the SICA West. Joel House added 13 points.
“I thought we played very well in the first half,” Joliet coach Mike O’Connell said. “We’re just a regular team without intensity.”
Mundelein 83, Antioch 65: Playing its 13th road game, No. 6 Mundelein (15-1, 7-0) jumped to a 21-4 lead, then used a 10-0 third-quarter run to stave off Antioch (4-12, 0-7) in the North Suburban.
Antioch trimmed the deficit to 49-44, but Kyle Kessel (32 points) scored seven points to spark the 10-0 run, including one of his five three-pointers. Thad Miller added 19 points and Brian McMahon 11 points and 15 rebounds for the winners.
“Kyle hit a couple big threes and that opened the middle for us,” said Mundelein coach Dennis Kessel.
Rich South 69, Crete-Monee 43: Keith Cappel hit seven three-pointers for his 21 points and Ed Hampton added 16 points for No. 8 Rich South (15-1, 2-1) in a SICA South road victory. After jumping to a 20-9 first-quarter lead, Rich South strayed from its fast-break game and led 31-26 at halftime.
“That’s when I told the team to go back to our game and stop playing Crete-Monee’s,” said Rich South coach Roger Bohnenstiehl.
Jon Cooper (12 points) and Tai Streets (11) also hit double figures for the Stars.
Naperville North 48, Glenbard South 34: Jason Buckley’s 14 points led No. 9 Naperville North (13-1, 5-1), which tied a school record with its 10th straight victory. A 22-9 fourth-quarter edge was the difference in the Du Page Valley. Scott Carius’ three-point play early in the fourth turned the tide.
Conant 86, Hoffman Estates 73: No. 10 Conant stayed atop the Mid-Suburban South behind Rick Kaye’s 27 points.
St. Martin de Porres 66, St. Rita 60: Jerry Gee tallied 21 points and nine rebounds and Tyron Triplett added 20 points as No. 11 St. Martin (13-3, 4-2) earned a road victory in the Catholic League.
Brother Rice 78, Mt. Carmel 77: No. 12 Brother Rice (12-3, 4-2) rallied from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to knock off No. 2 Mt. Carmel (14-2, 5-1). Rico Hill led the rally, scoring 10 of his 20 points in the final quarter. Jim Sexton (26 points) and Britt Booker (21) also came up big for Rice. Antoine Walker managed 23 for Mt. Carmel.
Lake Park 62, East Aurora 55: No. 15 Lake Park (13-1, 6-0) won its 13th straight and, with St. Charles losing, took a two-game lead in the Upstate Eight. Ty Sander scored 12 of his 20 points and Matt Hoder scored seven of his 15 in the fourth quarter as the Lancers rallied. Trailing 41-40, Hoder scored five straight points, including a three-pointer, and Lake Park never again trailed.
David Moore and Tyrone Williams scored 18 apiece to pace East Aurora (6-7, 3-3), which got outrebounded 38-17. Lake Park’s Brent Riemer grabbed 11 rebounds and Sander had seven.
St. Ignatius 68, Gordon Tech 49: Kevin Bruno scored 10 points and notched four of 11 steals as defense helped No. 17 St. Ignatius (13-3, 4-1) wear down Gordon Tech in the Catholic League. Innis Glover led the winners with 21 points, while Floyd Glinsey and Marcus Gaiter added 12 apiece. Toron Clark’s 15 points paced Gordon (3-11, 1-4).
Taft 59, Mather 50: No. 19 Taft (14-1, 4-0) closed the Red-North game with a 9-0 run, giving coach Frank Hood his 500th career victory.
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With the score tied at 50-the fourth fourth-quarter tie-and 1:32 to play, Robert Robinson hit a three-pointer. Eugene Pollock, who finished with a team-high 21, then scored six straight points including a dunk with six seconds to play. Kenyatta Nason added 15 points and Charles Thomas 10 rebounds for the winners. Hood, who started his coaching career at Von Steuben, is 500-209 in 27 years.
“I really haven’t won any games,” Hood said. “The kids have won the games.”
Hillcrest 65, Tinley Park 49: No. 20 Hillcrest (13-2, 3-0) used a 27-6 third-quarter advantage to post the SICA Central triumph on the road. Rodney Dean scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the spurt. Bob Bahret’s 14 points paced Tinley Park (2-13, 1-2).