Merrithey, Glenbard East roll past WW South

On any given night you never know who's going to have the hot hand for Glenbard East's boys basketball team.

Friday against Wheaton Warrenville South, it was definitely Jack Merrithey's turn.

Sparked by the senior guard's game-high 20 points and six 3-pointers, the Rams rolled to a 73-40 win over WW South in Lombard to extend their lead atop the DuPage Valley Conference standings.

With six DVC games to play, Glenbard East (18-1, 8-0) now holds a three-game lead over the Tigers (13-6, 5-3) and Naperville Central.

"The goal is to win conference, and each game you want to come out and be ready for every opponent," Merrithey said. "They're one of our biggest challengers. They've got a very good team and we knew we had to play well to beat them."

Aside from Merrithey's amazing shooting performance, it was another typical game for Glenbard East. Four players reached double-figure scoring, including Lee Skinner, who had 13 points, and Zach Miller and Johnny Hill, who each added 12 points.

It was Merrithey, though, who plowed the Rams to a 12-point lead early in the second quarter on a pair of 3-pointers. WW South hung in there, narrowing the gap to 26-18 at the half as Travis Kern energized the action with a pair of 3-pointers off the bench.

The Tigers could have pulled even closer had they scored on the final possession of the first half and the first possession of the second half, but they couldn't convert either chance.

Instead, Glenbard East took off on a devastating run.

Merrithey started the second half with a 3-pointer, and Skinner added a steal and basket. Miller's 3-pointer and Hill's bucket exploded the lead to 36-18.

A mini 6-0 run and Merrithey's sixth 3-pointer boosted the margin to 45-24 late in the third quarter.

"We were able to kind of bust him loose a little bit," Rams coach Scott Miller said of Merrithey. "Fortunately, he was able to knock some shots down. It's a credit to our guys that they're able to recognize it on the floor and feed him the ball."

Kern led WW South with 11 points while Reilly O'Toole scored 10 points.

With four of their final six DVC games looming on the road, every home game - especially against second-place WW South - is critical as the Rams drive toward their goal of a conference championship.

"This was a huge game for us," Scott Miller said. "Obviously, we've got a long way to go, but this was another big confidence boost for our guys."