Bartlett surprises Glenbard East
It's going to be a fight to the finish in the Valley Division of the Upstate Eight Conference.
The Bartlett boys basketball team threw a monkey wrench into Glenbard East's quest for the UEC Valley title Friday while keeping its own slim title hopes alive with a 55-45 home win.
Bartlett (16-10, 4-4) alternated between a 2-3 zone defense and man-to-man coverage throughout a game it never trailed. The Hawks held Glenbard East to 36-percent shooting (12 of 33) and forced 14 turnovers to sweep the 2-game season series. Bartlett won 63-46 in Lombard on Jan. 8.
"We've been working on that a lot in practice," Bartlett senior guard Robby Jimenez said of the 2-3 zone. "We're really trying to shut the passing lanes and disrupt passes."
"We were moving our feet and we were getting in passing lanes, "Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "I think we caused 10 first-half turnovers in the zone."
The Glenbard East loss coupled with West Chicago's 78-68 victory over West Aurora on Friday leaves the Rams and Wildcats tied atop the UEC Valley with 2 division games left for each. Glenbard East plays at West Aurora next Friday and finishes at East Aurora on Feb. 24. West Chicago (18-5, 6-2) plays at East Aurora next Friday and finishes at South Elgin on Feb. 24.
Glenbard East coach Scott Miller said his team must rebound better than it did Friday if the Rams hope to win the division. Bartlett won the rebounding battle 30-22.
"Even though we're a little undersized, we've been really strong on the glass," Miller said. "I thought they beat us up on the glass and got some second-chance points and were able to utilize the offensive rebound. We have to rebound better."
The Hawks jumped to a 10-3 lead through one quarter by limiting the Rams to 1-of-7 shooting, but Glenbard East outscored Bartlett 13-10 in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 20-16 by halftime.
However, Bartlett made 7 of 10 shots in the third quarter, including 3-pointers by Jimenez and senior Ben Reyes, to open a 37-28 lead heading to the final period.
Glenbard East senior Michael Finley scored 6 of his team-high 17 points during an 8-3 run that made it a one-possession game. The Rams drew within 41-38 on a pair of Terrance Lakes free throws with 3:37 to play.
Bartlett answered with a game-deciding 7-0 run, fueled by 5 of Jimenez's game-high 18 points, including a three-point play. Senior Jason Hasenberg contributed a putback basket during the run as part of a 17-point, 10-rebound performance, and the Hawks sank 14 of 17 free throws in the fourth quarter to beat the division leaders.
"On any given night I think we can hold our ground against anyone," Hasenberg said. "We have a very good team."