Practice pays off for Addison Trail
A good week of practice turned into a big victory for the Addison Trail boys basketball team on its home court Friday night. The Blazers won big over conference foe Downers Grove South 81-62.
"We had a good week of practice of running our motion offense, getting good screens and getting good shots," said senior Jack Kalbas, who put through a game-high 24 points.
The Blazers (14-9, 3-6 West Suburban Gold) put a tight grip on the game right from the start. They shot 7 of 12 from the field and led the Mustangs 20-7 after the first eight minutes.
Addison Trail didn't let up in the second quarter and made its shooting percentage glow a little brighter. It hit 9 of 12 shots and enjoyed a commanding 41-18 lead at halftime.
It was the second game that Blazers leading scorer Michael Williams missed due to injury. Coach Brendan Lyons said Williams should return for Wednesday's home game against Proviso East. But in his absence Lyons has stressed to his team that it's an opportunity for others to contribute, and the Addison Trail coach was pleased with how all of his roster has responded, especially against Downers South.
Colton Noel tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds. Breydon Hargrove hit for 15 points and Stevan Jones had 9.
"Guys took it upon themselves to step up," Lyons said.
The Mustangs (14-11, 6-3) started catching a spark in the third quarter after Addison Trail led by as much as 25. Downers South pulled to within 17. The Blazers led 61-41 at the end of 24 minutes.
The Mustangs' Denis Alibegovic, who led his team with 17 points, hit a free throw with 6:01 left in the game to cut the Blazers' lead to 12. About two minutes later teammate Dylan Kaczmarek sank a 3-pointer and Downers South was within 11.
Addison Trail, however, tightened its grip on the game and outscored the Mustangs 17-7 the rest of the way.
"We wanted this one. It was on our calendars. We haven't beaten them in a long time," Kalbas said.
T.J. Clifford had 13 points for the Mustangs, Kaczmarek had 11 and Tyree Spencer 10. Coach Kris Olson didn't hesitate as to what he thought was the key to Friday's game.
"Brendan Lyons had his team prepared tonight. I didn't," he said.
In addition to Wednesday's game against Proviso East, the Blazers travel to Leyden, then host Hinsdale South before West Suburban Conference crossover competition.
Lyons said Friday's win could be the momentum needed to finish strong before the sectional seeding meeting, which will take place before WSC crossover play.
"If we could finish 17-9 and .500 in conference, I think that would help at the seeding meeting," he said.