Timothy defeats Glenbard South in MSC opener

Timothy Christian was ready for Metro Suburban Conference play to start.

After a couple of tough games at their Thanksgiving tournament, the Trojans took out their frustrations on MSC newcomer Glenbard South, defeating the Raiders 67-45 Friday night in Elmhurst.

“That was a big win,” Trojans coach Jack LeGrand said. “It kind of got a little bit crazy there for a while, but i was proud of our kids. They kept their composure, kept it together and took care of things. Defensively, I thought we did a real good job.”

The Trojans took the lead for good in the second quarter, starting the period with a 13-2 run during which junior guard Chris Ridolphi scored 9.

“Chris has been struggling a little bit with his shooting, but Chris can be a good shooter,” LeGrand said. “I think it’s just a confidence thing. When he got that first one to fall that just helped him a lot. He’s got a lot of upside. He’s a good basketball player. He’s a gym rat, so he’s always working hard. You love kids like that.”

Timothy Christian took a 10-point lead with that run, but the Raiders cut it down to 6 at halftime. That trend continued in the third quarter; each time the Raiders (0-4, 0-1) got close, the Trojans (3-2, 1-0) responded.

“We made a couple of runs,” Raiders coach Wade Hardtke said. “It seemed like we were never able to crack that 6-point mark. I thought we got outplayed in most facets of the game. We’ve got to figure out how to stop turning the ball over so much, and we’ve got to be able to execute both on the offensive end and the defensive end. You’ve got to hand it to them. They played well and they played hard.”

The Trojans pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Raiders 24-8 and getting 15 points at the free-throw line.

Ridolphi finished with 14 points to lead all scorers, and the Trojans’ Troy Ellens added 13 off the bench. Mark Penczak and Mike Pizzello each scored 12 points, with Pizzello adding 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.

“We got some contributions from a lot of guys,” LeGrand said. “Mike Pizzello’s been pretty solid for us. He’s done a lot of stuff. He’s by far probably one of the best defenders that we’ve ever had. He draws the assignment to guard the best players all the time. He does a lot for us, handles the ball, rebounds for us.”

Dusko Despot led the Raiders with 10 points.