BOYS
No. 4 Farragut 73, Washington 56
Curie Shootout
Records: Farragut 1-0, Wash. 0-1.
Halftime: Farragut 37-18.
Summary: Farragut jumped to a 26-6 lead and led by as many as 30 at 51-21 after a 12-1 run to open the third quarter. Washington got no closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
Top performers: Farragut — C Michael Dunigan, 17 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks; F Marvin Thigpen, 15 points, 3 blocks; G Isiah Williams, 18 points; G Darius Stowers, 11 points, 6 assists, 6 steals. Wash. — F Michael Haynes, 23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals.
The bonus: “Washington beat us by about 20 points at this tournament last year, so we had a point to prove tonight,” Stowers said.
No. 6 Homewood-Flossmoor 73, Andrew 45
SouthWest Suburban Red
Records: Homewood-Flossmoor 5-0, 1-0; Andrew 0-4, 0-1.
Halftime: H-F 42-17.
Summary: Homewood-Flossmoor outscored Andrew 23-5 in the second quarter and finished the half with an 11-0 run in the final 1:25. Vikings G Kevin Dillard scored 9 of his game-high 28 points in the quarter.
Top performers: Homewood-Flossmoor — Dillard, 6 three-pointers, 5 assists; F Jeremy Saffold, 9 points. Andrew — F Dan Battistoni, 9 points.
The bonus: “Our pressure defense was very good tonight,” Dillard said. “We held them to five points in the second quarter. Anytime you hold any team to five points in a quarter, you’re doing something right.”
No. 9 Hales 82, Gordon Tech 39
Non-conference
Records: Hales 3-1, Gordon Tech 0-4.
Halftime: Hales 41-14.
Summary: Hales had a 22-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Hales sat its starters after that but brought them back to start the second half. They went on an 18-2 run to take a 59-16 lead midway through the third.
Top performers: Hales — C Josh Crittle, 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks; F Matthew Humphrey, 22 points (4 three-pointers).
The bonus: “We knew we had a lot of size on them, so we just kept pounding the ball down low to our big fellas from the start,” Humphrey said.
No. 10 New Trier 59, Glenbrook North 53
Central Suburban North
Records: New Trier 4-0, 1-0; Glenbrook North 3-1, 1-1.
Halftime: New Trier 24-21.
Summary: New Trier stormed to a 10-0 lead powered by brothers Peter and Jack Boehm. Glenbrook North G Alexis Dragicevich kept the Spartans in the hunt with 22 points.
Top performers: New Trier — F Peter Boehm, 16 points; James Clark, 10 points; Tim McCrary, 10 points. Glenbrook North — Dragicevich; F/C Tyler Ponticelli, 19 points.
The bonus: “This was a good primer for the rest of the season,” Peter Boehm said. “We have to be able to beat teams up and down the court.”
No. 13 Curie 67, Kenwood 55
Curie Shootout
Records: Curie 1-0, Kenwood 0-1.
Halftime: Curie 39-24.
Summary: Leading 25-20 with 3:12 left in the first half, Curie went on a 26-6 run for a 25-point advantage with 4:13 left in the third quarter. Kenwood outscored Curie 17-10 in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 12 points but couldn’t get closer.
Top performers: Curie — G Donavan Foster, 19 points, 5 assists; C Steve Goins, 17 points, 11 rebounds; freshman F Wayne Blackshear, 8 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists. Kenwood — F Kennrith Foster, 15 points, 8 rebounds; G Cordelro Means, 14 points.
The bonus: Curie’s Foster on the Condors’ run: “I think we got a little relaxed and too comfortable. We weren’t taking them too serious, but we changed our attitude and picked it up.”
Prospect 58, Wheeling 57
Mid-Suburban League East
Records: Prospect 4-1, 1-0; Wheeling 1-3, 0-1.
Halftime: Prospect 28-26.
Summary: Junior G Jason Leblebijian’s buzzer-beating three-pointer sent Prospect home with the victory. Leblebijian also brought his team to within a point after hitting a three-pointer with 1:01 left in the game.
Top performers: Prospect — F Kevin Reed, 20 points, 4 rebounds; Leblebijian, 10 points; Wheeling — C Alex Cherry, 14 points, 6 rebounds.
The bonus: “All that was going through my head was, ‘Use your knees,'” Leblebijian said. “There’s no better way to end it.”
No. 15 Von Steuben 75, Manley 47
Curie Shootout
Records: Von Steuben 1-0, Manley 1-1.
Halftime: Von Steuben 40-25.
Summary: Von Steuben overcame 18 team fouls to build a double-digit first-half lead. F Cordarrel Eldridge (8 points) helped ice the cake with six points in an 18-2 run to open the fourth quarter.
Top performers: Von Stueben — G Mike DiNunno, 25 points (11 in first quarter), 4 steals; C Homer Denson, 5 points, 10 rebounds; Manley — G Donovan Buford, 18 points, 8 rebounds.
The bonus: “We stopped their initial push,” DiNunno said. “They came out with a lot of energy tonight. We’ve been practicing so hard, I think everyone had to get their game legs underneath them.”
No. 16 Bloom 67, Crete-Monee 59
SICA South
Records: Bloom 4-1, 1-0; Crete-Monee 2-2, 0-1.
Halftime: Bloom 36-22.
Summary: Bloom F Aaron Nelson and G Jamar Daniels each hit two free throws down the stretch to hold off a late Crete-Monee threat. The Warriors, who lost despite making 15 three-pointers, hit three three-pointers on a 9-6 run to cut Bloom’s lead to 63-59 with less than three minutes to play.
Top performers: Bloom — Daniels, 15 points; C Jevon Nelson, 10 points. Crete-Monee — F Eddie Simmons, 29 points, 9-for-12 three-pointers; G Willie Wilkins, 19 points.
The bonus: “I was not pleased with how my team ended the game,” Bloom coach Jasper Williams said. “We had the lead, and we still have to learn how to keep the lead in the fourth quarter.”
No. 18 Wheaton North 63, Glenbard North 49
DuPage Valley
Records: Wheaton North 4-1, 1-0; Glenbard North 0-4, 0-1.
Halftime: Wheaton North 33-24.
Summary: Down 46-45 after it surrendered the first basket of the fourth quarter, Wheaton North closed out with an 18-3 run. F John Bagge scored 7 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Top performers: Wheaton North — G Dave Pilalis, 18 points; F Zach Dungee, 14 points; Bagge. Glenbard North — F Ryan Gasiriowski, 18 points; G James Sleming, 13 points.
The bonus: “They went on a run,” Bagge said. “Coach (Jim Nazos) said the key to our success is minimizing their runs. We had to step up.”
No. 20 Proviso East 54, Hinsdale South 52
West Suburban Gold
Records: Proviso East 3-2, 1-0; Hinsdale South 3-2, 0-1.
Halftime: Hinsdale South 28, Proviso East 27.
Summary: Proviso East’s 18-7 third-quarter advantage started with a 12-2 run to start the second half. In the fourth quarter, Proviso East kept its advantage with a steal by G De Angelo Vazquez with :47 left in the game. The following play, Hinsdale South G Dan Miller hit two free throws to bring the Hornets to 53-52. With 3.1 seconds left, Hinsdale South fouled F Derwin Gage, who hit 1 of 2 free throws for the final margin.
Top performers: Proviso East — Soph G William Crowder, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. Hinsdale South — C Eric Travis, 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks.
The bonus: “The coaches tell me when I’m in the game to do my best,” Crowder said. “The seniors help me to feel comfortable out there.”
Lincoln Park 66, Northside Prep 38
Non-conference
Records: Lincoln Park 5-0; Northside Prep 2-2.
Halftime: Lincoln Park 34-7.
Summary: The Lincoln Park defense pitched a shutout in the opening quarter. The Lions finished the half on a 15-2 run, sparked by eight points — including two three-pointers — from senior point guard Jeremy Montgomery.
Top performers: Lincoln Park — Freshman PG Rashad Wahad, 22 points; Montgomery, 21 points (3 3-pointers); soph C Mike Gabriel, 11 points; PF Brandon Ross, 10 points. Northside Prep — John Kinsler, 14 points; MacKenzie Rivers, 10 points.
The bonus: “They came out very nervous,” Montgomery said. “I tried to exert leadership by staying aggressive rotating the ball. I would either take a three or drive to the hoop depending what was there. Defensively, our goal was to keep them under 40 and stop Kinsler.”
Warren 51, Lake Zurich 44
North Suburban Lake
Records: Warren 4-0, 1-0; Lake Zurich 4-1, 0-1.
Halftime: Warren 18-17.
Summary: Tayler Erbach scored at the first-half buzzer to give Warren a one-point lead it never relinquished. The Blue Devils earned their first conference victory in the meeting of unbeaten North Suburban Lake teams.
Top performers: Warren — F Erbach, 19 points, 12 rebounds; F Brandon Paul, 12 points, 13 rebounds. Lake Zurich — G Connor Mooney, 13 points.
The bonus: “It was a defensive struggle tonight,” Erbach said. “It was hard to get any easy buckets. Maybe my basket at the end of the first half gave us a spark in the second half.”
West Aurora 46, Naperville Central 38
DuPage Valley
Records: West Aurora 5-0, 1-0; Naperville Central 4-1, 0-1.
Halftime: West Aurora 22-19.
Summary: An 8-2 run midway through the fourth quarter extended a 35-31 lead to 43-33 for West Aurora. The Blackhawks didn’t score from the field in the final five minutes but hit 7 of 8 free throws in the closing minutes to stay unblemished and hand Central its first loss.
Top performers: West Aurora — G Markus Cocroft, 13 points; G Marquis Stewart, 11 points; F Corbin Spearman, 10 points. Naperville Central — G Harrison Daniels, 9 points.
The bonus: “We really beared down and played smart as a team in the second half,” Cocroft said. “Coach (Gordon Kerkman) takes pride in defense. We practice one-on-one drills and guard full court. Tonight we really won on our defense.”
Lyons Township 54, Hinsdale Central 44
West Suburban Silver
Records: Lyons 4-0, 1-0; Hinsdale Central 3-1, 0-1.
Halftime: Hinsdale Central 23-19.
Summary: Lyons F Ed Viliunas scored 7 of his game-high 17 points in the first quarter. Hinsdale Central soph G John Whitelaw sparked a 9-0 run before the half with a game-tying 3-pointer and go-ahead score to lead HC to the halftime lead. With 2:14 left in the third quarter, Lyons junior F Alex Burt nailed a 3-pointer to give the Lions a 35-33 lead. LT went 8-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Top performers: Lyons — Viliunas 17 points, 8 rebounds; C Jeff Adams 11 points, 8 rebounds. Hinsdale Central — Whitelaw 16 points.
The bonus: “We came out with a different energy in the second half,” Viliunas said. “We just needed to get the ball inside and get back to the fundamentals.”
Hoffman Estates 56, Schaumburg 52
Mid-Suburban West
Records: Hoffman Estates 4-0, 1-0; Schaumburg 3-2, 0-1.
Halftime: Schaumburg 34-26.
Summary: Leading 54-52, Hoffman Estates’ Steve Anderson went on the offensive. He rebounded a teammate’s missed free throw with five seconds left and was fouled. He hit both free throws to seal the victory. The Hawks erased an eight-point halftime deficit with the help of a 7-0 run to open the third quarter.
Top performers: Hoffman Estates — G Luke Mead, 13 points, 3 steals; G Casey Terry 10 points. Schaumburg — G Brandon Bolger, 17 points; G Cully Payne, 16 points.
The bonus: “We knew Schaumburg would overplay our back cuts,” said Mead, who had several dazzling assists during the game. “They couldn’t stop us.”
GIRLS
Wheeling 61, Prospect 37
Mid-Suburban League East
Records: Wheeling 6-2, 1-0; Prospect 7-1, 0-1.
Halftime: Wheeling 27-18.
Summary: Wheeling F Lana Rukavina put her offensive versatility on display. The 6-foot-3-inch senior knocked down jumpers and slashed to the basket. Four Wildcats scored in double figures in the league opener for both teams.
Top performers: Wheeling — Rukavina, 20 points, 4 rebounds; G-F Ashley Wilson, 14 points , 8 rebounds, 3 assists. Prospect — Sarah Winans, 12 points, 3 rebounds.
The bonus: “In practice, I don’t just play center and don’t even consider myself a center,” Rukavina said. “I just go in and out and that’s the way I practice.”
———-
Compiled by Dave Surico, Jason Kerr, Matt Lynch, Joseph Phillips and Colleen Kane. Ed Schaffer, Tim Hilton, Adam Williams, Harvey Henao, Matt Rodewald, Russell Bouie, Mike Gibbs, Doug Hammer, Bob Davis, Rick Sorci, Tim Musachio, Matt Lo Cascio and Seth Gruen contributed.
