Hinsdale Central and Oak Park-River Forest both entered Saturday’s game with unbeaten marks in the West Suburban Silver. After one half of play, little separate the teams as the Red Devils held a 30-29 lead.
In need of a spark, Hinsdale Central senior guards Jack Hoiberg and Chris Eck propelled the Red Devils to a 67-60 conference win over the Huskies.
Hoiberg got the Red Devils (11-7, 6-0) going with five straight points to start the third quarter. On their next two scoring possessions, Hoiberg dished out two of his five assists as part of a 10-0 Red Devils run that gave them the lead for good.
“We came out with a lot of energy, and I think we beat them with our energy,” Hoiberg said.
That energy starts with Hoiberg, the team’s point guard. His best play came in the third quarter off a Huskies timeout. He went after an inbound pass and forced a loose ball and turnover. While it didn’t lead to any points, the play seemed to rattle the Huskies (13-6, 4-1), who struggled to find any rhythm on offense.
“The press had a gap that I saw, and I was able to take advantage of it,” Hoiberg said of the play.
Hoiberg finished with 20 points, sharing the game-high total with backcourt teammate Eck, who helped slam the door on the Huskies with 14 of his 20 points in the second half. Eck was 6-of-8 from the free throw line and kept the Huskies from making a rally.
The pressure, Eck said, didn’t really bother him.
“That’s what you need to do with the free throws,” he said. “Gotta zone in and knock them down and keep the lead.”
Hoiberg’s strong instincts as a point guard and Eck’s poised shooting prevented the Huskies from focusing on stopping any single Red Devils threat. As a result, players like sophomore guard Matt Rush and senior guard Michael Yaeger were able to contribute key baskets for the Red Devils.
“It’s a total team effort,” Red Devils coach Nick Latorre said. “We got some key contributions tonight from everyone. We needed every last bit of it.”
Entering the back half of the conference schedule that includes four road games, Latorre believes that their balance will make them a tough match for anyone.
“We have guys who are willing to share the ball, and they’re a very unselfish team and it starts at the top,” Latorre said. “They don’t care who scores.”
Senior forward Cameron Gross led the Huskies with 20 points and four rebounds. Sophomore guard Dashon Enoch added 15 points off the bench, and junior forward Phil Saleh had 11 for the Huskies.
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Milestine win
In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader in Hinsdale, the Red Devils’ girls basketball team defeated OPRF 52-33. The victory was Hinsdale Central coach Tom McKenna’s 500th career win.
Chris Vavra is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press