It will not be often this season that Wheeling will have a height advantage over its opponent, so the Wildcats took good advantage of that opportunity Monday on the opening night of boys basketball.
J.P. Colandra scored 18 points to go with four rebounds and three steals and Dave Gassis had 11 points and nine rebounds as the Wildcats dominated the inside game and eventually wore the hosts out in a 55-34 opening-round victory over Maine East at the Maine East Thanksgiving Tournament.
“Our big kids were the difference,” said Wheeling coach Pat Doyle. “They were good on the offensive boards and got some good high percentage shots for us. They’re not going to be the biggest kids in the suburbs, but they’re strong and know how to play inside.
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“We’re, unfortunately, not going to get used to the size advantage we had tonight. But they really stepped it up.”
Wheeling put the game away at the start of the fourth, opening the quarter on a 7-0 run, with four points from Gassis, to lead 49-28 and never looked back.
The Wildcat defense, combined with a tentative Maine East offense, allowed the hosts just three field goals in the second half.
The Blue Demons did get 18 points from Dan Milojevic, who was a one-man wrecking crew with 15 in the first half.
In other action, Kosta Giannoulias’ 24 points and Pete Carroll’s 20 points and five steals paced Glenbrook North in its 64-57 victory over Lake Forest. Tyler Smith scored 20 for Lake Forest, which trailed by two points with 56 seconds left after a 12-1 run but failed to score thereafter.
Buffalo Grove tournament: No. 9 Maine West used a 9-0 run in the last 2 minutes to contain Buffalo Grove 80-70. Kevin Frey and Lucas Johnson each scored 22 points for the Warriors while Jason Donis had a game-high 24 points and Jeff Siok 21 for Buffalo Grove.
“This was like playoff basketball,” said Maine West coach Jim Sullivan. “It was exactly what we needed to find out what we’re capable of. A soft game early on would not have done us any good. I’m proud we found a way to get it done in the end.”
In earlier action, No. 20 Gordon Tech (1-0) used 21 points from Hodges Smith to upend Crystal Lake South 65-55. Crystal Lake’s Mike Zorica led all players with 25 points while shooting 10-15 from the field.
Curie tournament: No. 3 King used 32 points, six assists and four steals from Imari Sawyer, 25 points and nine rebounds from Anthony Johnson and 18 points and 14 rebounds from Leon Smith to rout Flower 97-49. . . . Curie used 23 points by Donnie Morgan and 20 by Jermaine Miller to ease past Crane 84-70.
Larkin tournament: Sean Harrington’s 13 points and nine assists sparked No. 14 Elgin as the Maroons topped Foreman 65-47. Brent Gooden added 12 points for Elgin, which led 33-11 at the half. Larkin routed Newport Richey (Fla.) 61-31 behind Denny Penrod’s 20 points.
Niles West tournament: Brucal Green (17 points) sank a free throw to complete a three-point play with 30 seconds left as 16th-ranked Proviso West pulled away for a 65-59 victory over Niles West. Jermaine Brown had 23 points and seven rebounds and Keith Blake 18 points for Proviso. Niles West’s Steve Kopke scored 23. . . . Eric Schoenecker (11 points) sank five of six free throws in the fourth quarter to lead Notre Dame (1-0) to a 49-39 victory over Libertyville (0-1). The Dons outscored Libertyville 22-15 in the final period. . . . Davis Robinson (21 points) hit five three-pointers as Evanston (1-0) defeated Hyde Park 68-50. Damond Williams led Hyde Park (0-1) with 18 points.
Byron tournament: Tim Moehling (29 points) and Matt Dunker (18) sparked Marengo in its 67-51 victory over Plano.
Hales Franciscan tournament: Theordore Williams scored 21 and Marvin Phillips added 15 as No. 13 DuSable (1-0) knocked off Robeson 58-49. . . . Chicago Vocational (1-0) rolled past Von Steuben 63-38 behind Lawrence Barnett’s 17 points and Raymond Hubbard’s 14.
Hinsdale Central tournament: Hinsdale Central topped Kankakee 48-34 to win its 28th straight at home. Steve Callahan led with 13 points. . . . Chad Plotke scored 30 points in his first start and Henry Domercant added 26 to help Naperville North post a 77-62 victory over Hinsdale South. Ralph Ramey had 15 points for South.
Joliet tournament: Greg Smith and Tavares Hardy scored 15 points apiece to lead Providence over Collins 37-35. . . . Gerrard Johnson scored 22 points and Derrick Martin added 19 to lead Joliet to a 72-50 victory over Joliet Catholic.
Lake Zurich tournament: Ryan Szczesniak scored 16 as Lake Zurich knocked off Antioch 59-49. Don Lackey led all scorers with 17 for Antioch.
Marian Catholic tournament: Marian Catholic unveiled its new sports facility, Francis L. Casey Court, but lost to Sandburg 37-30 in overtime. Shane O’Donoghue, who led all scorers with 10 points, had a steal and a basket that tied the game in regulation and then hit a three-pointer in overtime to ignite a decisive 8-0 run for Sandburg. . . . Rich South cruised to a 74-46 victory over Bishop McNamara. Greg Lewis had 18 points while Gibran Carter added 15 points to go with 14 rebounds to lead the Stars.
Sandwich tournament: Elgin Academy earned a 72-66 overtime triumph over Hinckley-Big Rock behind Ryan Hurley’s 24 points and Nate Anderson’s 16. Anderson connected on five three-pointers in the second half.
York tournament: Darrell Flake scored 14 points and Aaron Carr and David Jones each added 13 as Lincoln Park (1-0) routed Senn 79-38 in Fred Jordan’s coaching debut at Lincoln Park. . . . The host Dukes used 22 points by Mike Nee and 15 by Kevin Collins (four steals) to beat Jacobs 57-47 in coach Jim Prunty’s debut for York. Cameron Reynolds scored 13 for Jacobs.
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