A rule is a rule is a rule at Schaumburg, especially if a player wants to get technical about things.
So junior standout Grant Monroe sat for the last 18 minutes of the Saxons’ first-round game against Lockport at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, benched for a technical foul that perhaps was debatable on its merit but not on its effect on Wednesday night.
“You could see it in their faces–they were down,” Lockport guard Bruce Durham said. “They started out real aggressive, but after the techs, it seemed like their tempo went down.”
And so did the No. 17 Saxons, upset 51-47 by the Porters, thanks in measurable part to that meltdown in the first half.
Monroe got up off the floor emphatically after picking up a foul with 2 minutes 10 seconds left before intermission, evidently enough to trigger the “T.”
And also triggering a meltdown for Schaumburg (8-2), which saw its dwindling lead disappear for good.
Durham led the Porters (7-1), scoring 11 second-quarter points and assisting on a game-clinching basket with 16.5 seconds left. He finished with 21 points.
It wasn’t the only first-day surprise. Curie upset defending champion Bloomington 59-53, thanks to reserve guard Robert Sankey.
The junior scored nine of his 16 points in the second quarter to bring Curie (7-4) back and then hit two free throws with 53.6 seconds left for the Condors’ first lead of the game.
Not all the action Wednesday was as riveting. Warren (8-0) posted an 81-37 drubbing of Lane, and No. 2 Simeon (5-2), powered by a game-ending 18-0 run, hammered Lake Forest 53-29.
About the only dicey moments for a seeded team in the first round came with third seed West Aurora holding off a game Niles West squad 60-51, led by T.J. Marion’s 12 points.
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bchamilton@tribune.com
