Glenbard West keeps it simple against Downers North
No drama this time, just another hurdle cleared by Glenbard West's boys basketball team.
The Hilltoppers moved a step closer to their first conference title in 43 years with Wednesday's 72-58 West Suburban Silver victory at Downers Grove North.
Unlike the first meeting with the Trojans - when Glenbard West needed Justin Pierce's buzzer-beating bucket to eke out a win - the Hilltoppers (18-2, 6-1) led wire-to-wire after Alex Passi scored the game's first 7 points.
"We came into this game thinking it's just as important as (Saturday's Silver game against Hinsdale Central)," said Glenbard West forward Sam Noland. "The crowd is smaller. It's not a Saturday night. But it's still a conference game and still means the same thing."
Glenbard West built a 14-point lead early in the second quarter and maintained a double-digit advantage most of the night. Three times, however, the Trojans (10-11, 3-6) knocked down the deficit to 6 points.
Jared Whitacre's three-point play made it a 32-26 game early in the third quarter, but Glenbard West responded with 12 straight points on four 3-pointers. The gap shrank to 6 points twice in the fourth quarter, but the Hilltoppers again answered, this time with an 8-1 run.
"The idea is to be the best version of us, and I don't think we've done that yet," said Trojans coach Jim Thomas, whose team played without injured Anthony Castelvecchi and Bowen Marks. "That's the most frustrating part coming from the coaching staff, and the kids know that too."
Passi and Pierce, who each scored 68 points their last three games, tallied 24 and 20 points, respectively. Pierce added 10 rebounds, while Passi knocked down 7 of 8 fourth-quarter free throws.
Bryan Jakobsze scored 17 points with three dunks to lead Downers North. Devin Blake added 15 points.
"We're not going to sneak up on anyone, but these teams play you hard every night," said Hilltoppers coach Tim Hoder. "No one's going to come out snoozing in a league game. It just doesn't happen."
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