Schaumburg Christian edges Christian Liberty
Over the years, Christian Liberty Academy of Arlington Heights and Schaumburg Christian School have met in various athletic events.
But for the first time on Thursday night, the private schools met in boys basketball with both being full-time members of the Illinois High School Association.
CLA began participating in IHSA postseason action in 2009, while Schaumburg Christian is making its debut this school year.
The host Conquerors prevailed in their Life Center with a 58-46 triumph over the Chargers by using a defensive strategy that forced 19 turnovers and by converting 18-of-45 shots from the field.
"It was nice to see our guys come out with such an intensity that I believed they (CLA) weren't expecting from us," said Schaumburg Christian coach Tim White. "Working hard and playing together as a team - that's what you strive for from your players."
It was that blend of hard work, intensity and togetherness that built the host school a 10-2 advantage in the game's first four minutes.
The Conquerors (6-1) forced 7 turnovers led by guard Nathan Winters (5 points) and forward Michael Petrella (4 points) during that span.
The visiting Chargers (2-8) rallied back to within 12-11 with 1:43 left in the quarter, using a 9-2 charge that featured 5 points from 5-foot-7 sophomore guard Jordan Castro. But the Conquerors proceeded to roll off 12 consecutive points for an 18-5 run to put them ahead 30-16 with 2:40 to play in the half.
During the rally, SCS received 6 points apiece from Petrella, guard Tyler Keller and forward Joey Alsum.
CLA came back twice to within 7 in the second half.
The Chargers used a 7-0 surge in a two-minute span of the third quarter and then a 10-0 run in the opening 3:25 of the final period that erased a 17-point difference. They trailed 46-39 when Steve Ringstrand scored on a putback with 4:35 left in the game.
The Conquerors responded for the final time as Alsum scored 7 of his game-high 18 points during the decisive 9-2 run.
The final rally kept SCS in control at 55-42 with 1:06 to play.
"We wanted to create some pressure by being able to sink back on their inbounding the ball," said the 6-1 Petrella, whose 15 points alongside with Alsum, Winters and Keller (10 points each) paced the Conquerors. "We came up big tonight."
Castro and 5-9 junior guard Mark Cabrera each had 14 points for CLA.
"Honestly we got a ton of opportunities to come back in this game," said Chargers coach Jed Bennett. "You can't make those choices that we made and expect to win many games like that."
The Conquerors won five state titles between 1989 and 2008 while playing in the Illinois Association of Christian Schools.
White is trying to continue to focus on the big picture in his team's maiden voyage in the IHSA.
"We tell our guys to dream big," he said. "We're going up against the 'big boys' now. We need to have a lot of confidence in ourselves going into our first year by continuing to work hard and to work together."