Connor Kochera was not pleased with his offensive performance Thursday against Glenbrook South at the Wheeling Hardwood Classic.
The good news for the St. Viator senior guard was that he only had 24 hours to dwell on the loss.
The Lions lost to Glenbrook South 36-35 on Thursday. Kochera was 0-for-8 on 3-pointers in the narrow loss.
But the next day, Kochera was back on the court and helped St. Viator blow out Fremd 63-34. He scored 21 points in just three quarters of action as Lions coach Quin Hayes pulled his starters early.
In the span of 24 hours, Kochera showed how the Lions are as good as their 6-foot-5 point guard takes them.
“He can get to the rim, shoot and is phenomenal defensively. He literally does it all,” Hayes said.
“Connor works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen,” added senior guard Michael Campagna. “He is so dedicated.”
The Lions had two stars last season: Trey Calvin and Jeremiah Hernandez. Kochera’s role was limited.
“He was relegated to being a spot-up shooter,” Hayes said.
But now, Calvin and Hernandez are playing Division I college basketball in Ohio. Kochera is at the center of St. Viator’s plans. He handles the basketball and facilitates the Lions’ offense. On defense, he frequently matches up against the opposing team’s most dangerous player.
Kochera takes his defensive responsibilities as seriously as he takes his offensive duties.
“What I look at is, how can I stop them?” said Kochera, who lives in Arlington Heights. “More than my offense, how can I stop their best player and focus more on the defensive end?”
The Glenbrook South game showed how Kochera carries out his roles on the court. He was given the assignment of guarding Titans forward Dom Martinelli, who had scored 32 points against Ridgewood in the opening round of the Wheeling Hardwood Classic.
Martinelli did not have as much success against the Lions. Kochera prevented him from finding open looks. Martinelli scored eight points on only eight shots.
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“He’s a terrific scorer, and I was happy with how I was able to contain him,” Kochera said. “My teammates had a lot to do with that.”
One of those teammates is Campagna. The 6-3 guard is the Lions’ second scoring option and also brings the ball up the court. He knocked down three 3-pointers against Fremd on four attempts.
Campagna is almost all the way back from a right knee injury he suffered while training for lacrosse in the fall.
“This is my last year. I’m not missing it for the world,” Campagna said. “We all know our roles. As long as we keep winning, it’s all to help the team.”
St. Viator beat Prospect 61-47 on Saturday and finished 3-1 at the Wheeling tournament. Kochera scored 29 points for the Lions (10-4) in the tournament finale.
As long as he continues to score and defend, St. Viator should be in good shape.
“Doing all the little things on the court is big for me,” Kochera said.
Jon J. Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press