Riverside-Brookfield's power of three trips up Glenbard South
The dreaded three streak.
Riverside-Brookfield hammered Glenbard South with threes throughout the second quarter of Friday's Metro Suburban Blue boys basketball game in Glen Ellyn, powering the Bulldogs to a 54-38 victory.
Bulldogs senior guard Ryan Cicenas did the bulk of the damage by hitting three 3-pointers, but three other players also connected from beyond the arc to quickly stretch the lead to double digits.
Glenbard South (4-6, 3-2) didn't have enough offensive consistency to mount a comeback, especially after Riverside-Brookfield (5-5, 4-1) allowed only 6 points in the third quarter.
"I've been in a little slump lately but the ball started going in this game," Cicenas said. "We all pull for each other, so every time anyone does anything it gets the whole team going."
Five players accounted for the Bulldogs' nine 3-pointers, with Cicenas knocking down five. But the second quarter was the only burst that mattered.
It helped Riverside-Brookfield overcome 17 turnovers in the final three quarters and 1-of-12 fourth-quarter shooting with the lead at 20 points.
"They shot the ball really well," said Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke. "We got beat in every facet of the game in that second quarter. That kind of took the wind out of our sails. We couldn't really get much going. You've got to credit their defense. They set the tone on both sides."
Glenbard South strung together consecutive baskets only once in the first three quarters as the deficit grew to 50-28 heading to the fourth quarter.
Cicenas led all scorers with 17 points while Zach Vaia added 13 points. Brandon Whiteside and Kevin Enright scored 10 points apiece for Glenbard South, which opens play at the Glenbard West Holiday Tournament against Leyden on Saturday.
"They were doing a pretty good job of flustering us defensively early," said Bulldogs coach Mike Reingruber. "They just had little breakdowns and we were lucky enough to take advantage of a couple of their breakdowns. That gave us a little confidence. Once you see the ball going in a couple times, it becomes contagious."
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