Shelby Jordan can do almost anything with a basketball. The Hillcrest senior can shoot from the outside, inside and on the run. His defense is second to none.
Jordan found out Wednesday, though, that he doesn’t have to do everything for the Hawks.
He scored just two points in the second half, but his teammates picked up the pace and Hillcrest held off No. 15 Sandburg 59-51 in the Bloom round-robin tournament.
“He was trying to do everything himself when the game was on the line,” Hillcrest coach Tom Cappel said. “Sometimes [his teammates] look to him too much.”
Jordan led Hillcrest (2-0) with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
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When he tired in the second half, seniors Shawn Richardson and David Townsend stepped in and finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Townsend, at 6 feet 4 inches, also pulled down nine rebounds.
Hillcrest’s undersized post players held their own against Sandburg’s Chris Rega, a 6-9 center who led all scorers with 15 points to go with 10 rebounds.
“We used our speed against their size,” Townsend said. “We put the pressure on them.”
Hillcrest also got a boost from sophomores James Smith, Jerrell McNeal, Maurice Acker and Reggie Bossie.
The underclassmen didn’t panic when Sandburg (1-1) rallied. The Eagles, who trailed by 11 at the half, came within two points in the third quarter and within three early in the fourth, only to see their rallies erased by turnovers.
Sandburg should be better off when 6-6 forward Mike Applegate returns to the lineup next week.
He has been recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.
“It hurts a lot,” Rega said of Applegate’s absence.
“I score a lot more with Applegate. He sees the court well.”
Marlen Garcia.
Galesburg tournament: In its opening game of the year, top-ranked West Aurora used a devastating press to wipe out host Galesburg 74-51.
Trailing 9-4 early, the Blackhawks went on a 17-0 run to seize control. Justin Cerasoli (14 points) scored 10 in the quarter, Jaeh Thomas (12 points, five rebounds, four assists) had eight. Dameon Mason led the Blackhawks with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Evanston tournament: Shannon Brown led all scorers with 28 points as No. 2 Proviso East (2-0) handled Providence-St. Mel 87-40. . . . No. 5 Evanston (2-0) knocked off Oak Park 90-76 as Mike McKinney had 23 points.
Niles West tournament: No. 6 Young ended New Trier’s five-year reign at Niles West when the Dolphins busted open a halftime tie and cruised to a 65-40 victory in the championship game. Young (3-0) outscored the Trevians 22-4 in the third quarter to break a 30-30 tie. DeWitt Scott paced the Dolphins with 20 points and Anthony scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half. Chris Busey led New Trier (2-1) with 12 points. . . . Niles West (2-1) pounded Notre Dame 82-63 in the third-place game behind Sead Odzic’s 36 points, including five three-pointers. . . . Prosser (2-1) downed Hyde Park 58-49 as Jason Bowden-Key and Clinton Byrd scored 12 points apiece. . . . Robert Bush had 20 points and Tyranne Mitchell added 18 points as Thornton (1-2) edged Chicago Vocational 52-51.
Schaumburg tournament: No. 7 St. Joseph (1-0) beat St. Charles North 56-40 behind David Pearson’s 21 points. . . . Patrick Ivy’s two free throws with 1 minute 4 seconds left tied the game 48-48 in regulation as Rich Central went on to defeat Maine South 58-55 in overtime. Brandon Long scored all of his 18 points in the second half for Central (1-0). Jamie Friel’s 15 points led South (0-1).
St. Rita tournament: Jerrah Young had 22 points for No. 9 St. Rita (2-0) in its 56-30 win over No. 17 Homewood-Flossmoor (2-1). . . . Hales Franciscan used a 12-0 third-quarter run to turn a close game into an easy 63-42 victory over Brother Rice. Nathan Hood had 21 points to lead the Spartans (2-0). Nate Minnoy added 12 points for Hales, while Steve Woerheide paced Brother Rice (1-1) with 10 points, all in the first half. . . . St. Ignatius (1-1) breezed past Nazareth 69-37 as Joe O’Connell had 16 points.
Lincoln-Way East tournament: No. 10 Thornwood (3-0) claimed the tournament title, defeating Kenwood 53-40 as Eric Gray put in 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. . . . Ken McCormick and Mike Wilhelmsen scored 14 points apiece to spark Lincoln-Way East (1-2) to a 65-45 win over Mt. Carmel (0-3).
St. Patrick tournament: No. 12 Fenwick started the game on a 10-1 run and never looked back in its 64-38 win over North Chicago. Vince Humphrey had 22 points for the Friars (1-0).
Batavia tournament: Ryan Gierke scored 20 points and Eric Snyder added 14 to lead Kaneland (1-0) past Aurora Christian 56-51.
Eisenhower tournament: Keith Marshall’s 23 points paced Richards (1-2) past Shepard 67-60. . . . Chris Hobson’s 28 points propelled Eisenhower (3-0) over St. Francis de Sales 74-62.
Lisle tournament: Westmont (1-2) held on to beat Montini 43-42 as Emil Martchinskas had 18 points. . . . Mike Swierenga’s 18 points helped Timothy Christian (2-1) edge Driscoll 52-49.
Lyons tournament: Riverside-Brookfield (1-0) upended Gordon Tech 53-51 as Fiore Buccieri scored 12 second-half points, including four free throws in the final 36 seconds with score tied 49-49.
Neuqua Valley tournament: Brian Reid’s putback with 15 seconds left gave Hinsdale South (1-1) a 53-52 win over Downers Grove North. Reid finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Stephan Bolt and Tom Edwards paced North (0-3) with 16 points each. . . . Jarrett Starwood’s 17 points led Waubonsie Valley (2-0) past Naperville North 58-46.
Oak Lawn tournament: After being held to just four points in the first half, Cedrick Middleton scored 14 in the third quarter and finished with 24 as Marian Catholic (3-0) claimed the tournament title with a 61-48 win over Oak Forest. . . . Joe Norris hit two free throws with five seconds left in OT as Oak Lawn (2-1) outlasted Andrew 62-58.
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Proviso West tournament: Chicago Latin (3-0) prevailed 55-45 over Rich South as Mike Rudoy collected 22 points and 13 rebounds. . . . Wayne Hampton’s 17 points lifted Proviso West (2-1) past Fenger 71-61.
St. Charles East tournament: Trailing by 16 points midway through the third quarter, the host Saints went on a 25-9 run to tie the game 63-63 en route to their 78-74 win over Rockford Guilford. Eric Wright hit a three-pointer with 1:48 to play to give St. Charles East (1-0) the lead for good. Joe Caricato had 27 points and Dan Izzo added 25 for the Saints. . . . Wheaton Academy had a 17-0 run in the second quarter during its 62-47 win over De La Salle. Dan Aloisio’s 18 points led the Warriors (1-0).
WJOL tournament: Romeoville (2-0) routed Joliet Catholic 80-56 behind Willie Walker’s 25 points. . . . Lockport (1-1) used Matt Jurjovec’s 11 points to down Bolingbrook 43-26.
Girls basketball
Maine West tournament: Second-ranked Marian Catholic (4-0) used a 22-4 second-quarter run and 11 points from Lauren Lacey in its 65-20 win over Maria (1-1). . . . Megan Brandt had 12 points and Vanessa Acosta grabbed 14 rebounds as the No. 18 host Warriors (2-1) beat Hersey 53-48. Emily Hirt led the Huskies (1-1) with 19 points, including five three-pointers. . . . Jessica Altieri netted 22 points for No. 20 Stevenson (2-0) in a 62-60 triple-overtime win over st. Ignatius. Erin McGovern had 23 points for the Wolfpack (0-2). . . . Evanston went on a 10-0 third-quarter run and cruised from there in its 54-41 win over Washington. Ariel Rogers had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildkits (1-1).
Hillcrest 64, Mother McAuley 56: Nadia Bibbs scored 18 points and collected 10 steals, while teammate Nikita Odom added 16 and 10 rebounds as the No. 19 host Hawks fended off a late Mother McAuley rally.
University High tournament: Senior Gina Rose scored 24 points to go over 1,000 for her career as St. Francis de Sales (4-0) beat Mather 54-40.
Waubonsie Valley/West Aurora tournament: Kina Miller hit the game-winner with 1:40 left and Sharkisha James finished with 12 points as West Aurora (2-1) topped Fremd 40-39. Cathy Mangan’s 11 points led Fremd (2-1).