Highlanders happy to finally be back home
Driscoll's boys basketball players waited eight games before stepping onto their home court to face competition other than each other.
When their home opener finally rolled around Saturday night in Addison, the Highlanders made every second count, cruising to a 69-45 victory over St. Edward.
Driscoll (7-2, 3-0 Suburban Catholic Conference) began the game on a 15-0 run, as seniors David Schwabe and Jake Lindfors seemed to score at will.
After a pair of Green Wave free throws stopped the Driscoll run at 15, the Highlanders went right back to work, scoring the quarter's final 9 points to grab a 24-2 lead after one.
Driscoll executed so well on both ends of the floor during the opening quarter that even St. Edward coach Keith Chuipek stopped to admire.
"They're good. I enjoyed sitting on the bench and watching them play, because they got a great team," Chuipek said.
The Highlanders capped their second 15-0 run early in the second quarter, as David Schwabe scored to push the Driscoll lead to 30-2.
Junior guard Austin Baker cited Driscoll's teamwork as the main reason for the blistering start.
"We all play as a team. We're all close and everything," Baker said. "None of us are selfish."
Highlanders coach Nick Latorre harnessed his players' enthusiasm for the home opener into a swarming defense that allowed just 9 first-half points.
"It was our first home game, so I think the kids were excited about playing at home," Latorre said. "So far, (in) our first few games we've really kind of developed a mentality defensively that (defensive pressure) is going to be what's going to make us a good basketball team."
Driscoll pushed its lead to 51-13 in the third quarter before a majority of starters earned the rest of the night off.
Latorre knows more success is in store for the Highlanders if they continue to believe in their system and themselves.
"Hopefully, they continue to buy in," he said. "They practice really hard, they compete, and there's a good team chemistry that's kind of emerging, so hopefully that continues."
Brett Manning paced the Green Wave (4-4, 0-4) with 17 points, all in the second half.
Despite the lopsided performance, Chuipek was pleased to face a different style of defense.
"A lot of teams we've played so far have been zones, so it was kind of good to see us play against man-to-man," he said. "I thought we stood up to their pressure, but we just didn't make some shots."