In consecutive boys basketball games, the Ridgewood-Elmwood Park rivalry provided two of the most memorable finishes in the brief history of the Metro Suburban East.
Both games came down to the last shot. Ridgewood junior Zac Rzewnicki beat the Tigers at the last second both this year and last year.
Ridgewood and Elmwood Park met again on Friday, Feb. 5, in Norridge. The game didn’t have anywhere near the late drama of the teams’ last two games, however, because of how well the Rebels played.
Ridgewood has suffered from inconsistency at times this season, but its 62-48 victory was by far its best game of the season, Rzewnicki said. The Rebels’ energy was an important reason why.
“Starting from when we came to the gym, when we got there, we all sat as a team and everybody was getting pumped up,” Rzewnicki said. “The locker-room atmosphere and everything was a lot different. Everybody was ready to go, and everybody was … excited to play them.”
Rzewnicki is Ridgewood’s go-to scorer, but the Rebels’ scoring attack was diverse against Elmwood Park. Senior guard Keith Kerrigan finished with 14 points. Junior Josh Carrasquillo scored 13 points. Seniors Sal Biondo and Peter Cabaj both reached double digits, with 12 points and 10 points apiece.
Ridgewood (10-11, 5-3 entering the week) pulled away in the third quarter with a 12-0 run that was sparked by a dunk by Cabaj. The Rebels’ defense helped the team build a double-digit lead. Elmwood Park was held without a point for the first five minutes of the third.
“We were really putting the pressure on them once they crossed half-court, and forcing them to make tough passes — and speeding them up so they made their own mistakes,” Rzewnicki said.
Ridgewood coach Chris Mroz did not return calls or text messages seeking comment on Monday, Feb. 8.
The Rebels lost 60-57 to Luther North the following day, however. The Wildcats, a Class 1A program, improved to 17-7 with the victory. They pulled off the upset, in part, because Ridgewood didn’t summon as much energy and intensity as it did the previous night against its biggest rival.
“We really have to just stay at that level, and grow from that [Elmwood Park game], because all season we’ve been up and down,” Rzewnicki said. “That’s really been our problem. We just really need to move forward and stop doing this up-and-down stuff.”
Finishing first in the Metro Suburban East is likely out of reach for the Rebels — Chicago Christian was 8-1 in the conference, entering the week — but it’s feasible that Ridgewood could make a deep run in the postseason.
The Class 3A Ridgewood Sectional is wide open. It features a slew of teams with records similar to the Rebels’. For example, St. Patrick and North Chicago figure to get two of the sectional’s highest seeds. They entered the week 13-10 and 12-9, respectively.
Ridgewood has discussed its sectional, Rzewnicki said, and the opportunity ahead of it, especially given that the Rebels could play their sectional games at home.
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It will be imperative, however, to reach and sustain a high level of play. Doing so will likely require some of the same ingredients Ridgewood used to beat Elmwood Park by 14 points on Friday, Feb. 5.
“We’re just going to have to realize that not every game is going to be a rivalry against the next town,” Rzewnicki said. “Regardless of who we’re playing, we have to play the same [way] every game — and come out with the same intensity.”
Eric Van Dril is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @VanDrilSports