RIVER GROVE Guerin’s 50-47 victory over Elmwood Park on Friday was more than just another win for the Gators.
This school year is the first with Guerin and Elmwood Park playing in the same conference, the Metro Suburban East, and what was once an occasional friendly nonconference game has blossomed into a big-time rivalry in every sport.
“If you’re a basketball fan, this was the place to be on Friday night,” Gators first-year head coach Tim Bowen said. “We’d like to keep this going. Win or lose, this is what high school basketball is supposed to look like.”
“[Guerin] is our No. 1 rival,” second-year Elmwood Park head coach Tony Sylvester said. “It used to be Ridgewood eight or nine years ago when I first came here. But over the last five years the best crowds in football and basketball have been against Guerin. Unfortunately, we were on the other side of it [Friday]. We need to win some of these. I think they’ve beaten us three years in a row.”
One player who figures to be a lightning rod in the rivalry over the next couple years is Gators sophomore Richie Zacharias, who lives in Elmwood Park. He quarterbacked Guerin in the fall and threw two touchdowns in a 14-13 victory over Elmwood Park. Earlier this season he scored 15 points in a 42-36 victory over the Tigers, and on Friday night he knocked down three three-pointers and finished with nine points.
“I probably know 30 or 40 kids at EP,” Zacharias said. “But it’s not just me out there, it’s the entire team. This season, compared to the last time we played EP, we really came together and we share the ball and play as a team.”
Playing in the same conference means that the teams will face each other multiple times in many sports. Guerin won both its boys and both its girls basketball games against Elmwood Park this season.
“It’s good for basketball, good for us and good for Metro Suburban basketball,” Sylvester said.
“Since we’re in a conference together now I think every single year the rivalry is going to get bigger and bigger,” Zacharias said.
Guerin was up 29-15 late in the second Friday and took a 29-17 lead into halftime. Elmwood Park chipped away in the third quarter and pulled within 35-27 to start the fourth. The Gators held a 42-29 advantage after Zacharias buried a three-pointer with 5:00 to play but the Tigers had one big run left.
Tigers senior Arturo Reyes took the game over, scoring nine of his team-high 15 points in the final five minutes. Reyes had a chance to send the game to overtime but missed a three-pointer in the final seconds.
“We got a pretty good look from the wing to tie, but we didn’t get it done,” Sylvester said. “But we lost the game in the first half. We thought we were ready to play but there’s a difference between thinking you’re ready and actually doing it when the game starts.”
Adam Castro was the star for Guerin, scoring a game-high 20 points. Eleven of Castro’s points came at the free-throw line, which was a direct result of his assertive play.
“I was just being aggressive the whole game and I was fortunate to score because my teammates do a good job looking for me,” Castro said. “Off the ball reversals I saw the lane open up and coach gave me the green light. It’s my job to drive and draw the foul.”
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