Hillcrest and Richards are expected to be among the elite teams in the south suburbs this season, and Friday night they learned how they measured up against each other.
Hillcrest started fast and maintained a frantic pace throughout the non-conference game in Country Club Hills, rolling to a 71-45 victory.
“Coach [Tom Cappel] told us to come out with a lot of intensity, a lot of pressure,” said guard Justin Taylor, a transfer from Rich Central who led the Hawks with 16 points. “They weren’t really ready, to tell you the truth. We worked harder from the start.”
Hillcrest (4-1) raced to a 19-6 lead by the end of the first quarter, and Kevin Smith, who finished with 11 points, increased the advantage to 22-6 with a three-pointer to start the second period.
Center John Edwards pulled down 10 rebounds for the game and contributed the basket that put Hillcrest ahead 31-13 with 2 minutes 45 seconds left before halftime, the Hawks’ biggest lead of the half.
Richards’ Teray Whisby scored the first four points of the second half to close the gap to 35-21, but that’s as close as the Bulldogs (3-1) got.
Cody Yelder led Richards with 15 points, and Tristan Therkield added 10.
Cappel said Taylor had played “lackadaisical” before Friday’s game but called this the guard’s best game of the season.
Friday’s victory may have Hillcrest fans looking for a repeat of last season’s sparkling 24-5 record.
“I think we’ll have a really good season,” Taylor said. “Hopefully we’ll get Downstate.”
