Hilltoppers tire in overtime

Glenbard West's boys basketball team used nearly every ounce of its energy to force overtime against Proviso West on Friday night.

The Hilltoppers rode senior John Shurna, along with clutch performances off the bench, to tie Proviso West 48-48 at the end of regulation.

Once overtime began, though, Glenbard West's collective team fatigue finally got the best of the Hilltoppers, as Proviso West prevailed to a 62-53 victory in Glen Ellyn.

Glenbard West (4-3, 1-2 West Suburban Silver) managed just 2 points in the first 3:15 of the four-minute overtime period. A pair of Shurna 3-pointers in the final minute kept the loss in single digits.

"I think our kids really battled hard to get back in the game, and I think we just kind of ran out of juice a little bit," said Hilltoppers coach Tim Hoder. "It took a lot of energy to get back in it."

The Proviso West Panthers (1-5, 1-1) applied a full-court press nearly the entire game, further draining Glenbard West of its late-game energy reserves.

"When they press the whole game like that, they know eventually that can wear you down," Hoder said. "I think that it did wear on us a little bit.

"Even if they're not getting steals off of it, or even if they're not scoring points off of it, it's still disruptive.

The Hilltoppers took their first second-half lead on a pair of Shurna free throws with 5:05 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After the Panthers widened their lead to 6 points with 2:07 left, Shurna and junior David Martz combined for the last 6 points of regulation to send the game to overtime.

Proviso West entered the extra period ready to claim its first victory of the season. The Panthers scored the first 10 points in overtime, effectively ending Glenbard West's chances at a win.

"We know we needed the win, we know we needed to get the ball inside, (and) we know we needed to get the ball to our key people," Panthers coach Tommie Miller said.

"We know we had to play with a lot of intensity. Intensity was the key in overtime."

Each of Proviso West's five players that started overtime registered at least 2 points.

Miller is hoping Friday's win will propel the Panthers to additional success.

"It was a great win," he said, also citing the importance of a conference victory on the road. "This is a springboard for us."

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