Elgin Holiday Tournament

Bloodied the night before, David Bryant saved his best for last on Saturday.

Batavia's junior knocked down two 3-pointers in the final minute of the championship game of the Elgin Holiday Tournament, giving the Bulldogs a dramatic 49-45 win over Wheaton North.

Bryant needed four stitches on his forehead after taking an elbow in the final minute of Friday's game with Buffalo Grove. He missed 14 of his first 16 shots against Wheaton North. But didn't flinch.

"Coach told me to just keep shooting the ball. I knew they were on target," Bryant said. "I got a couple good looks at the end and hit 'em."

Batavia's championship was its third straight at Elgin.

But who could have expected the Bulldogs to do so without Nick Fruendt?

The Batavia star has missed the last seven games with mononucleosis. The Bulldogs (12-2) are now 5-2 in his absence.

"Getting the victories without him is really good," Bryant said, "but it's definitely better with him. Hopefully we'll get him back soon."

John Bagge's two free throws with 1:02 left gave Wheaton North (11-2) a 44-40 lead. At the other end, Bryant drained a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key.

He stole an errant Wheaton North inbounds pass, then buried another 3-pointer from nearly the same spot to give Batavia a 46-44 lead with 19 seconds left.

Bagge missed a tough reverse layup at the other end and Jordan Smith split 2 free throws for Batavia. Wheaton North was fouled before it could get off a 3-point shot to tie it in the final seconds.

"He (Bryant) made two plays," Falcons coach Jim Nazos said. "Not many high school players can make those shots."

In a tight, low-scoring game with a postseason tenor, Batavia led 24-20 at the half. Wheaton North scored the first 7 points of the second half, taking a 27-24 lead on a driving layup by Dave Pilalis. The Falcons led 31-26 after a Tom Fitzpatrick score, but Batavia answered with three-point plays by Jordan Smith and Stewart Charles to grab a 32-21 advantage after three quarters.

No team led by more than four in the final quarter.

Bryant and Phil Albrecht both scored 14 points for Batavia. Smith, giving away 4-5 inches against Falcons' big men Bagge and Fitzpatrick, had a yeoman effort of 13 points and 9 boards.

"I thought Smith really worked hard," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "Defensively, this may have been one of his best games."

Bagge, despite drawing close attention all night from Batavia's defenders, still managed 17 points and 14 rebounds. Fitzpatrick added 10 points and Pilalis 9.

"I think we'd both like to meet up some other time," said Nazos, asked of a possible rematch. The teams are in the same Class 3A East Aurora sectional. "It means we'd both got pretty far."

Larkin 53, Bronzeville 36: Larkin finally shook the monkey off of its back.

Winless in its first 13 attempts, Nick Bee scored 8 points in the first quarter and Larkin cruised to a 53-36 victory over a quick Chicago Military Academy Bronzeville team in the final day of action Saturday at the 33rd annual Pepsi/Daily Herald Elgin Holiday Tournament.

"We didn't play down to our competition," said Bee, who scored all 8 of his points during Larkin's 19-point first quarter. "We started penetrating inside and we finally got a lead and kept it."

Larkin's lead came when Bee grabbed a steal and ran the length of the court for a layup. Bee was fouled on the play and converted the free throw giving the Royals (1-13) a 5-2 lead. Larkin would not relinquish its lead outscoring Bronzeville 19-10 in the the first period.

"Nick is a leader," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "It's hard to find people that want to lead. Nick picked up the role a couple of games ago. That's what you want a senior to do."

Senior Cam Kinley was also a leader for the Royals in terms of both points and rebounds. Kinley finished with a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds -- 6 offensive -- in the victory. Larkin out rebounded Bronzeville 34-26.

"It feels good getting the chip off of our shoulder," said Kinley, who added 5 blocks in the first half. "Now we can go out and have some fun."

In order to maintain its 33-20 halftime lead, Larkin executed a patiently run offense in the second half. The Royals did not want the speedy Eagles (2-13) to mount a comeback.

Larkin held Bronzeville to 22.2 percent (6 of 27) from the floor in the second half. Jovon Butler, who had scored 10 points in the first half, was limited to just 1 of 4 from the floor in the second half with the Eagles scoring a combined 16.

Kinley (4 steals) put in 10 in the second half and Brandon Cooks (3 assists) scored 4 points in the fourth quarter. Justin Kalusa scored 8 points and Deonte McFadden added 6 points for Larkin, while 3 Eagles starters finished with 8 points.

"We wanted to be patient and wait for layups," Bee said. "We wanted to box out and not let them catch us."

Added Hight: "They're athletic. We held them in check. This is the first time for us holding a lead. We needed to get off of that goose egg."

Glenbrook South 71, DGN 60: Glenbrook South came out on top against Downers Grove North during the last day of tournament action at Elgin.

Ryan Hopkins led all scorers with 23 points, while Jack Cooley finished with 22 points for the . Anthony Brown added 15 points.

Wesley Love led the with 19 points, and Deon Thomas contributed 12 points.

Hoffman 40, Dundee-Crown 29: Hoffman Estates coach Bill Wandro needed a spark on offense.

Junior Chris Hall provided just that spark. Hall finished with 10 points and the Hawks scored the first 11 points of the second half in their 40-29 victory over Dundee-Crown at the 33rd Annual Pepsi/Daily Herald Elgin Holiday Tournament.

Leading just 19-18 at halftime, Dundee-Crown (5-6) was outscored 13-3 in the third quarter.

"In that third-quarter push, we had 2 or 3 minutes that decided the game," Wandro said. "The effort we showed in the third quarter was enough to push us over the edge."

The Hawks made 5 of their first 6 shots in the third quarter. Kevin Lessner (10 points) scored on a pass from Luke Mead, with Mead jacking up a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor to give the Hawks (9-4) a 24-18 lead. Ben Collins then poured in the next 3 baskets extending the lead to 30-18 with 3:04 left in the third quarter.

During that same stretch, Dundee-Crown missed its first 8 shots and did not get a field goal until Jeff Beck 9 points) scored on an offensive rebound with 29 seconds left.

"We didn't score any points," Chargers' coach Lance Huber said. "I thought we had some good looks, but shots weren't falling. We got down by 7 or 8 and they were just holding the ball."

The Chargers could not respond in the fourth quarter either, going 3 of 17 from the floor. Dundee-Crown grabbed 9 offensive rebounds in the second half, but scored just 10 points. However, of those 10, six came from offensive putbacks.

Dundee-Crown jumped out to a 9-6 lead after the first quarter. Center Charles Kimbrough was the main source of offense scoring 4 points. The Hawks quickly adjusted, though, and held Kimbrough to 1 point over the next three quarters. Wandro credited Lessner's defensive effort for Kimbrough's struggles in the second half.

"Lessner forced their big guy out of the game," Wandro said. "Whenever we did get a rebound, it was Kevin."

Hoffman Estates responded in the second quarter a Hall put in 2 baskets and Casey Terry(12 points) scored 7 points. The Hawks shot 3 of 10 in the opening period, but rebounded to go 6 of 8 from the floor in the second quarter.

"Coach put me in to give us a little spark off the bench," Hall said.

Greg McNally finished with 9 points for the Chargers, making three 3-pointers.

-- Matt Stacionis

Meadows 69, Elgin 54: Rolling Meadows looked to end the 33rd Annual Elgin Holiday Tournament on a positive note. The Mustangs felt leaving with two wins was a nice litmus test after sizing up the competition in the annual classic.

Not only did Meadows (7-6) complete the job, but Kyle Gaedele and Ty Kirk personally showed how dangerous they are.

Gaedele and Kirk combined for 42 of Meadows' 69 points, simply controlling the game in a 69-54 victory over Elgin Saturday afternoon.

Kirk and Gaedele were unstoppable in the first half. Elgin (6-7) stayed within 10 the whole way, but couldn't find an answer Gaedele.

Gaedele scored 10 second-quarter points all at the hoop, using his strong, 6-foot-3 frame to overpower a smaller, quicker Elgin team that showed the fatigue of playing four games in four days.

"We didn't have the legs to play the defense we wanted to play," said Maroons coach Mike Sitter. "When you give them open looks, give them looks close to the basket, you make them look good."

And oh they did.

With 4:08 left in the third quarter, Elgin cut the Mustangs' lead to 7 off a Jeremy Granger steal and finish. Gaedele wanted to stop any Elgin run. After stepping back and hitting a 3-pointer off an inbound pass, Gaedele knocked down his defender with a strong move to the hoop putting the Mustangs' lead back to double-digits.

"This is how we win games, we push the ball inside and Kyle posts up down low, and just overpowers people," said Mustangs guard Ty Kirk.

"We knew it was going to be a battle. Our team tries to emphasize being physical with our players because we're a physical team," Gaedele said.

When Gaedele wasn't overpowering the Maroons down low, he was kicking it out to Kirk, who hurt the Maroons elsewhere. His ability to get to the basket, hit 3-pointers and find open teammates were vital in thr win. Along with his 18 points, Kirk had 6 assists.

"When Ty and I click, our team rolls," said Gaedele, who also grabbed 9 rebounds.

The physical game took the tired Maroons out of the game, as they trailed by as many as 20 in the fourth. It didn't help that the Mustangs shot 27 of 50 from the field.

"They pushed us around and we didn't react too good," said Sitter.

Armani Williams scored 15 points for the Maroons.

-- Steve Nichols

Waukegan 51, Fremd 36: It wasn't the title game they wanted to be playing in or the trophy they wanted to be posing with, but the Waukegan Bulldogs did more than just improve their tournament record to 3-1 by defeating Fremd 51-36 in the consolation championship.

They improved their outlook for the unofficial second half of the season.

"It's an evolving puzzle and we're still trying to figure out guy's roles and get a rotation set," said Waukegan's first-year coach Ron Ashlaw. "These last three games we've been able to do that."

After losing to the Vikings 60-55 on Nov. 23 at the Fremd Thanksgiving tournament, the Bulldogs returned the favor by shooting 50 percent (20 of 40) from the field.

Waukegan (8-6) also benefited from having Jereme Richmond on the floor. He missed the first matchup because of a suspension. The Illinois recruit posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but the Vikings were pleased at how they matched up with the 6-foot-6 sophomore and the rest of the Bulldogs.

"We did a good job in the half-court, defensively," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "They scored off some of our turnovers and some of our miscues."

Fremd, the consolation champion the past two seasons, led 12-5 in the first quarter after knocking down 5 of its first 7 shots, but the Vikings (6-8) were plagued by ice-cold shooting in the final 24 minutes, making only 21 percent (8 of 37).

"When we did get open shots we didn't knock them down," said Fremd senior Jim Mundt.

Chris Klimak scored 10, Dan Bruno hit two 3s and had 9 points and Will Reising scored 8 for Fremd.

Naudgee Carpenter had 11 points for Waukegan, which was led in scoring by senior Rashaan Melvin. The 6-foot-2 guard tallied 7 of his game-high 14 points during a 13-0 second-quarter run.

"It's nice to have something and not go home empty-handed," Melvin said. "We lost our first game (70-61 to Neuqua Valley), but we bounced back."

-- Matt Beardmore

Neuqua Valley 53, Auburn 51: They aren't taking home the big trophy this year -- but the Neuqua Valley Wildcats can still enjoy their last bus ride back from Elgin.

The Wildcats, champions of the Elgin Holiday Tournament last year, beat Rockford Auburn 53-51 for fifth place on Saturday.

In a nip-and-tuck affair that featured 8 lead changes and 7 ties, Neuqua's Derek Raridon broke the last deadlock with a layup with nine seconds left.

"Going 3-1 here is a lot better than 2-2," said Neuqua's Dan Pawelski, who scored a game-high 20 points and assisted Raridon's final basket. "No matter if it's for fifth place or ninth place, it's nice to go into the rest of the year with a win."

Darnell Van Vleet's 3-pointer with 3:16 to play drew Auburn even at 51-51. Auburn held the ball with less than a minute left, but Neuqua knocked a pass away and Brad Keeler came up with a steal.

With nine seconds left Nolan Brown inbounded to Pawelski in the right corner, and Pawelski found Raridon underneath for the go-ahead score.

Van Vleet missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds, then misfired on a desperation jumper as time expired.

"It's a screen under the hoop for me to get open," Raridon said of the winning play. "We kept running it and it was open."

Neuqua (11-3), looking listless at times early on playing in a half-empty gym with the 5 p.m. start, went scoreless the final 3:04 of the first half and trailed 26-22 at the break.

Then the Wildcats found an extra spring in their step.

Pawelski put back a miss on Neuqua's first possession of the third quarter, and T.J. Jordan's steal and score tied the game. Pawelski's three-point play with 4:38 left in the quarter gave the Wildcats the lead back at 34-32. He scored 10 of his 20 points in the third quarter.

"The guards did a good job on our fastbreak offense getting up the floor," Pawelski said. "Our point guard moved the ball, and I had a height advantage."

Neuqua led 44-40 after the third quarter, scoring 4 times on offensive putbacks in the period.

"They needed to play better," Wildcats coach Todd Sutton said, "because they should be embarrassed with their effort in the first half. It was very lackluster."

Raridon finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds and Jordan 9 points and 9 rebounds. Van Vleet scored 14 for Auburn (8-5).

"With the gym dead silent, you have to find a way to get yourself motivated," Raridon said. "It was kind of a tough game to get into, but we needed to get the win."

Highland Park 58, Buffalo Grove 50: The lengthy postgame meeting signaled a stern lecture.

After going nearly five weeks without a setback, a 58-50 loss to Highland Park in the third-place game of the Elgin Holiday Tournament marked Buffalo Grove's second defeat in less than 24 hours.

But as the locker room door swung open, smiles beamed across faces and jokes flew between players as the Bison watched Wheaton North and Batavia battle in the championship game they desperately wanted to be a part of.

"We just had to lighten the mood a little bit," said BG senior Brian DeSimone, who scored all 15 of his points after halftime. "After four days in a row, it's kind of hard. We've got a couple days off, so we just have to regroup."

After shooting 2 of 17 from 3-point range in Friday's 63-50 loss to Batavia, it was more of the same on Saturday at Chesbrough Fieldhouse, as Buffalo Grove (11-3) missed 13 of 17 attempts from long range.

"We got some decent looks that we didn't make," said Buffalo Grove coach Ryan O'Connor.

Highland Park (12-1) wasn't having that problem. The Giants, who trailed Wheaton North 22-8 after eight minutes in Friday's 65-54 semifinal loss, rebounded nicely against the Bison in the first half, converting 47 percent (10 of 21) from the field and rolling off a 20-5 run to go up 22-8.

"We definitely try to come out and jump on a team early," said Highland Park senior Chris Wroblewski, who led all scorers with 23 points.

Wroblewski nailed a pair of 3s and scored 12 in the opening 16 minutes, Tellef Lundevall scored 9 of his 14 in the first half and Nick Wieczorek had 7 of his 10 at the break.

BG fought back in the second quarter as it powered to the basket and took only three 3s (making one). Sophomore Kevin Mulligan (11 points) scored 7 and Paul Timko (7 points) had 5 points in the period, as the Bison pulled within 29-22 at halftime.

"We proved that we can play with elite teams, and we proved we need to play a little better if we want to beat elite teams," O'Connor said.