At this rate, Guerin’s Richie Zacharias won’t have many friends back in his hometown of Elmwood Park.
In the fall, Zacharias tossed two touchdown passes to lead the Gators to a one-point win over the Tigers on the football field. He was up to his old tricks Friday night on the hard court. He scored a game-high 15 points to propel Guerin (2-4, 1-0) to a 42-36 Metro Suburban East road win over Elmwood Park (1-4, 0-1).
“He’s hitting some big shots,” first-year Gators head coach Tim Bowen said. “I credit a lot of what he’s doing to football. He’s a big kid, strong and he’s got some athletic tools and intangible things you can’t coach. And he has a lot of poise.”
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It could be a long few years for Elmwood Park fans because Zacharias is just a sophomore.
“I’m not really liked here [at Elmwood Park], but whatever they want to say to me I just let it go,” he said. “I don’t let it affect me. I just keep going.”
Zacharias has transitioned well to varsity sports and had an immediate impact in both football and basketball. It comes as no surprise to senior point guard Adam Castro (15 points), who played with Zacharias in basketball open gyms last year.
“I definitely knew Richie was going to be a key player this year and I was looking forward to playing with him,” Castro said. “Richie is a great player and he knows how to adjust. He’s my assist category. I just penetrate and kick.”
Zacharias got the Gators going in the second half, burying three 3-pointers in the first nine minutes.
He gave Guerin the lead for good when he stepped to the line for four free throws with 3:22 left. Zacharias was fouled and then Elmwood Park was called for a technical foul after a player threw the ball off the backboard. Zacharias converted three of four to give Guerin a 37-35 advantage.
“I didn’t even know I had four shots,” Zacharias said. “They just kept giving me the ball and I kept shooting.”
Both schools were represented by a boisterous crowd and Zacharias fed off that emotion.
“If not a lot of people are there, you’re not really excited to play,” he said. “But when there’s a lot of people here cheering you on, it’s a great feeling. You can’t get that feeling anywhere else.”
Anthony Perodin led Elmwood Park with 14 points. The Tigers shot 13 of 31 from the floor. “I think we finished with 19 turnovers and that’s far too many,” Elmwood Park coach Tony Sylvester said. “It comes down to the fact that we scored 36 points in a varsity basketball game and that’s not good enough.”
The first half of Friday’s game was ugly. Both teams struggled, shooting a combined 10 of 34 from the floor while constantly turning the ball over. The result was a 15-14 Guerin lead at halftime.