The state basketball tournament is built on emotion and momentum. Being on the wrong side of the equation is a dangerous way to live.
North Chicago had the worst possible scenario play out Tuesday night. Just as the Warhawks started to feel comfortable and seemingly in control, it proved an illusion.
North Chicago seized its largest lead at the start of the fourth quarter only to watch Ridgewood’s Zac Rzewnicki take charge. The Rebels went on to beat the top-seeded Warhawks 53-49 in the Class 3A Ridgewood Sectional semifinals.
Rzewnicki, a senior forward, scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. He scored 11 straight Ridgewood points to ignite an 18-3 run that erased North Chicago’s nine-point lead and put the Rebels up 50-44 with just over two minutes remaining.
North Chicago junior Simeon Henton scored 14 points and added six rebounds, four steals and two assists. In his final game, Marreon White added 13 points and six assists for the Warhawks (17-11). Terrell Grier added 10 points for North Chicago.
Henton and White sparked a 15-5 third-quarter burst that helped the Warhawks take a 39-32 lead after three quarters. Henton grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback as time expired in the quarter.
North Chicago appeared to weather its early difficulties as Ridgewood (17-12) led by as many as seven points in the first half. North Chicago’s pressure and ability to generate offensive rebounds offset its turnovers (24) and the Rebels’ huge advantage on 3-point shooting.
Jonathan Coleman, who scored seven points, opened the fourth quarter by hitting a short jumper in the lane. That gave North Chicago its biggest lead at 41-32. But it was all downhill from there for the Warhawks.
North Chicago shot just 11-for-21 at the free-throw line. The Warhawks shot just 4-of-10 in the fourth quarter, including a stretch of missing five of six that included the front end of back-to-back bonus attempts.
“I thought we played hard, but we just didn’t play smart,” North Chicago coach King Coleman said. “This is the state tournament. After we went up nine points, we were not patient with the basketball. We played like we were behind. We had way too many turnovers and you can’t go into this type of game and have that.”
The game changed with just under five minutes to play. Rzewnicki missed the front end of a one-and-one, but snared the offensive rebound and converted a three-point play to pull the Rebels within 43-38.
Consecutive turnovers by North Chicago yielded back-to-back 3-pointers by Rzewnicki and senior guard Keith Kerrigan (20 points) that put the Rebels up 46-44 with just under three minutes to play.
Ridgewood outscored North Chicago 24-3 on 3-point attempts.
“We just didn’t play our style of game in that fourth quarter, too much individual play and we weren’t patient with the ball,” White said. “I had a great four years playing North Chicago basketball for coach King, but this is a terrible way to go out.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.
Local sectional pairings
Tuesday’s result
Class 3A Ridgewood Sectional
Ridgewood 53, North Chicago 49
Wednesday’s games
Class 4A Fremd Sectional
Fremd vs. Lake Zurich, 7 p.m.
Class 4A Glenbrook South Sectional
Deerfield vs. Stevenson, 7 p.m.
Class 3A Ridgewood Sectional
St. Patrick vs. Antioch, 7 p.m.
