There are better ways to enter the state tournament than to be without your leading scorers, yet that is what faces both Evanston and St. Joseph.
St. Joseph (17-6), playing without team captain and leading scorer Ruben Conway, defeated No. 18 Evanston 59-53 Tuesday night in Westchester behind Richard James (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Ian Dent (15 points).
The losing Wildkits (17-6) were also handicapped. Mason Rocca, who was averaging 23 points per game, broke his left wrist in Saturday night’s victory over York. Courtney Huff’s 23 points led Evanston.
“It’s the first time we’ve played without Ruben since Christmas,” said St. Joseph coach Gene Pingatore. “We did a good job the first half and half of the third quarter, then lost our intensity.”
West Aurora 54, Lake Park 28: Ricky Taylor had 14 points to lead nine different players who scored for No. 5 West Aurora (22-2, 15-0) in the Upstate Eight.
Marshall 62, Young 58: Marshall (8-17, 2-9) jumped out to a 17-point lead and hung on to upset No. 20 Young in the Red West. Cleodis Hilliard led the Commandos with 12 points. Lonnie Holland led Young (17-8, 6-5) with 21.
Carver 73, Julian 56: No. 8 Carver clinched at least a tie for its fourth straight Public Red South title with the victory. Nick Irvin (26 points) hit a three-pointer to ignite an 8-0 run in the second quarter that gave the Challengers (21-4, 10-1) a 26-21 lead they would never lose. Another Irvin three started a 12-0 run in the third that put Julian away.
Farragut 84, Lincoln Park: Ronnie Fields had 51 points to lead No. 4 Farragut (20-4, 10-1) in the Red West.
Cary-Grove 68, Round Lake 49: Eric Caldwell had 21 points to lead Cary-Grove (14-10) in the non-conference matchup.
Crystal Lake Central 78, IMSA 68: Jeff Potts (22 points) and Mike Archambeau (18 points) powered Crystal Lake (19-4) to the non-conference triumph.
Elk Grove 75, Buffalo Grove 65: Tony Alvarado’s 25 points led Elk Grove in the Mid-Suburban League crossover. Jason Siok poured in 31 for Buffalo Grove.
Fremd 73, Prospect 67: Paul Tharp led the way with 20 points and John Benedetti and Mike Murphy each contributed 16 as Fremd (18-7) won in another Mid-Suburban League crossover. Kevin Coleman’s 27 led Prospect.
Hillcrest 77, Oak Forest 64: Greg Simmons scored 20 points and Jenero Hemphill and Walter Lesure scored 17 and 16, respectively, as Hillcrest won in the SICA Central. Tim MacFarlane scored 26 points to lead Oak Forest.
Larkin 48, Elgin 44: Jim Cully had 17 points to lead Larkin (14-11, 7-8) in the Upstate Eight.
Manley 79, Orr 59: Timothy Smith had 15 points to lead a balanced attack for No. 7 Manley (20-5, 8-3) in the Red West.
Rich Central 83, De La Salle 51: Rich Central (15-9) jumped to a 27-13 lead and rolled over No. 13 De La Salle (19-5). Kedric Vaughn led Rich Central with 16 and Marcus Jackson added 13.
St. Charles 73, Streamwood 69: Casey Dodson had 17 points to lead St. Charles (19-5, 11-4) in the Upstate Eight.
Austin 58, Spalding 34: Antwann Miller had 16 to lead Austin (14-10, 9-2) in the Blue West.
Bolingbrook 73, Rich East 66: Bolingbrook (16-7) outscored Rich East 23-12 in the third quarter to claim the non-conference victory. David Underdunk led Bolingbrook with 25.
More Top Picks Air Quality Monitors
Bowen 68, Hyde Park 56: Ortiz Glaze had 16 points and Derrick Beard added 15 as Bowen (19-7, 13-0) clinched the Blue South.
Collins 78, Near North 70: Lamain Rucker had 21 points as Collins (22-2, 13-0) clinched the Blue West title with the victory.
Crystal Lake South 61, Grayslake 38: Dave Pease scored 17 points for Crystal Lake South, which improved upon a 29-19 halftime lead in a non-conference matchup.
CVS 68, Hirsch 60: Melvin Hursey and David Williams each scored 14 points for CVS (15-8, 11-2) in the Blue South.
Eisenhower 67, T.F. North 49: Eisenhower (13-11, 9-2) rolled in the SICA Central behind Andre Shelby (23 points, 10 rebounds).
Fenton 79, Morris 66: Charles Taft sank seven three-pointers while scoring a career-high 39 points and Bryan Scott added 22 points as Fenton (10-14) won in a Suburban Prairie crossover.
Libertyville 77, Zion-Benton 71 (2 OT): Tim Beshel scored 27 points and Lukas McKnight picked up nine of his 26 points in the second overtime, including six free throws, as Libertyville (19-6, 11-3) slipped by Zion-Benton (11-9, 8-6) in the North Suburban. Doug Rettig had 26 points and 12 rebounds for Libertyville.
Morgan Park 72, Kenwood 61: Desmond Myrick had 26 points to lead Morgan Park (10-13, 4-7) in the Red South.
Rich South 72, T.F. South 51: Marcus Blossom had 21 points to lead Rich South (17-7) in a non-conference matchup.
Simeon 80, Fenger 53: Simeon (13-9, 9-2) grabbed a 26-12 lead after the first quarter and rolled to the Red South victory. Michael Fields led Simeon with 19 points.
Sycamore 55, Plainfield 42: Chuck Knapp scored 16, Kelly Coots 13 and Jamie Cotton 11 for Sycamore (16-9), which went on a 13-0 run in the second half to take control in a Suburban Prairie crossover. Mike Sandon scored 11 points for Plainfield (14-10).