Crystal Lake South 46, Johnsburg 35
Not many fans know the history of Crystal Lake South boys basketball. But after Friday night, fans learned what 25 years of Gator basketball was all about.
For 25 years, Gary Collins roamed the sidelines at Gator Alley as head varsity coach. Friday night, the man who went 397-301 during that time earned his stripes as the icon of Crystal Lake South basketball.
"He's the foundation. He basically started it all. He's worked it through to maturity, and he's stepping away, and we really owe him thanks for all the success for the program," said former Gator Josh Turk.
Amid the honor of a man who won eight conference titles and seven regional championships, there was still a game to be played, and Collins would've been proud to have coached it.
The Gators, fueled from what the night had meant to the program, defeated Johnsburg 46-35 in a Fox Valley Conference crossover game in Crystal Lake.
Collins was presented with a personalized jersey with his initials printed on the front left shoulder. The Gator legend would indeed say this was the icing on the cake.
"It culminates it. You hope these young kids realize the tradition that's here. They're a part of something really big, it's their obligation to carry it on," said Collins.
"It's nice to be honored, but the main thing I was concerned and happy about was to give the opportunity to recognize the people who have helped me, who have helped the program for so many years."
"The biggest thing is that he's a great leader. He's been a great role model for myself in the times of coaching and playing. He's a very caring person," said Jason Nawracaj, current sophomore coach and a former player under Collins.
"Gary was the perfect person. He's extremely organized. He did a fantastic job. We coached together for over 18 years. It was a great honor to work with him, he's an excellent coach," said former Gators basketball coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Collins coached from 1977-1997, took a brief stint as an assistant to Marty Dello from 2000-2002 before coming back in 2003. His final retirement came in 2005, as he led the Gators to 42 wins during that time.
The Skyhawks (3-2) found themselves in a hole early, as the Gators (3-2) outscored them in the first quarter 10-4.
"You bury yourself 10-2, and the way they play, they're disciplined, well coached, it's a struggle to claw back into the game," said Skyhawk coach Matt Ryndak.
Johnsburg, in fact, played a sloppy game in the first half. Yet, in the second quarter, with their big guy C.J Fiedorowicz in foul trouble, the Skyhawks cut the Gator lead to 4 at halftime thanks to guards Mike Dixon and Cole Jensen, who both canned 3-pointers during their 7-2 run to close out the quarter.
"When Fiedorowicz came out, they made their run. Lots of drive and kick outs from Dixon and Weingart. They can flat out shoot," said Gators coach Dan DeBruycker.
The second half was a different story, and the Gator defense showed.
"Anytime we can hold a team to under 40 points, it's our goal every night, you're going to have a good chance to win," said DeBruycker.
The Gators only allowed 19 more points in the second half, and got a huge lift in Wes Evans, which 9 of his team high 11 points came off key offensive rebounds. Evans scored 4 points in the final three minutes of the game, off of Gator free throw misses.
"Our goal is to hold them to 40 points. Our offense took care of itself," said Gators guard Chris Reuter.
Along with Evans' 11 points, Eric Wilde, who started off the game with consecutive 3-pointers, added 11 for the Gators. The Gators got huge help off the bench from Adam Olszewski, who finished with 7, but hit key free throws down the stretch.
Mike Dixon lead the Skyhawks with 12, and Fiedorowicz added 9, including a 3-pointer late that cut the Gator lead to 9.