Hinsdale Central handles Glenbard West
Hinsdale Central's boys basketball team prides itself on defending the home court.
It goes hand-in-hand with defending the West Suburban Silver title.
With a bunch of upcoming road trips for the Red Devils, Friday's 60-52 home win over Glenbard West became that much more important for a team determined to claim a third straight Silver title and garner a top sectional seed.
“We try not to drop any games at home,” said Hinsdale Central senior George Kiernan. “Being a senior, coach kind of unfortunately told us our home games are dwindling down. So we want to sweep our home floor and win out on it.”
Glenbard West's 9-0 run late in the second quarter, capped by Kalen Starkey's inside bucket, tied the game at 20 apiece. Navy-bound Kiernan, however, hit a 3-pointer before halftime and started a 19-4 run extending to midway through the third quarter.
Leading 39-24 by the time the blitz ended, the Red Devils (14-2, 5-0) never let Glenbard West (6-9, 1-3) get closer than 7 points away the rest of the game. Six-foot-seven Matt Rafferty had 17 points and 15 rebounds, while 6-6 Kiernan had 19 points and 7 boards as Hinsdale Central again dominated in the post.
“I think we played with a little bit more defensive intensity tonight,” said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. “They keep playing hard. They do a good job of staying positive. When you're playing a good team, it's hard not to let them get a run.”
Glenbard West made another push at the end of the third quarter by narrowing the gap to 41-34 on Justin Pierce's 3-pointer just before the buzzer. The Red Devils, however, made 9 of 11 fourth-quarter free throws to keep their distance.
Alex Passi scored 16 points to lead the Hilltoppers. Pierce scored 8 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter while Starkey had 6 of his 12 in the second quarter.
“I'm glad we had that little run at the start of the second half,” said Hinsdale Central coach Nick Latorre, whose team plays six of its next eight games on the road, including a four-game stretch in the Silver. “I thought that was the difference in the game. You have to hold homecourt advantage, especially in the conference because it's so tough to win on the road. It was good to get out of here with a ‘W.' ”
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