Pierotti an unsung hero

Everyone in the DuPage Valley Conference knows the offensive firepower Wheaton North is enjoying this season.

Six-foot-seven John Bagge and 6-8 Tom Fitzpatrick are the men in the middle, while Kristian Rosenberger and Dave Pilalis have combined for 73 3-pointers on the perimeter.

Lost in the shuffle, though, is the solid season from senior guard Steve Pierotti. Known for running the show at the point, he's also shown some scoring prowess.

He's averaging just over 5 points a game as the Falcons' fifth-leading scorer, but Pierotti tied for team-high honors with a 14-point performance in Tuesday's 60-45 win over Wheaton Warrenville South. In a key fourth-quarter stretch he made a 3-pointer and tallied 7 points.

With Pierotti capable of hitting double-figure scoring on a given night, it becomes much tougher to contain the Falcons' offense.

"We're a team that depends on five guys, and not one or two or three," said Falcons coach Jim Nazos. "If Steve's got the open shot, take it."

You ain't seen nothing:ŒNo one could remember the last time Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South played a cross-town DuPage Valley Conference game on a Tuesday.

To say the least, it was an odd feeling compared to the typical Friday night showdown.

"It was very strange," said Falcons senior guard Steve Pierotti. "I've never heard of playing South on a Tuesday."

A good crowd came out regardless -- even with the horrible wintry weather conditions looming outside.

"You just play whenever the DVC schedule says to play," said Tigers coach Mike Healy. "It was a nice crowd for a Tuesday night."

For those who thought the Tuesday game looked strange, just wait until next month. The DVC is scheduled to play its finales on Feb. 20 -- a Wednesday.

The air down there:ŒWith no returning starters Downers Grove South expected to be a different team than in recent years, and not just because of the difference in personnel.

For the first time in five years the Mustangs are without a dominant post presence.

Six-foot-seven Elliot Engelmann, now a sophomore at Butler, was a three-year starter who set several program rebounding records while helping lead the Mustangs to a third-place Class AA state finish in 2005.

Then came 6-5 Dan Schouten, a junior in Engelmann's senior season, who was an All-Area honoree last year for the Mustangs.

This year, however, Downers South is without a significant inside presence. Six-foot-six sophomore Bledi Dervishi contributes, but Mustangs coach Paul Runyon considers his other 6-3 and 6-4 players as guards or small forwards.

"I just don't have a big player to match up inside with teams," Runyon said. "(Six-foot-one) Julius Staisiunas is a tough kid, but he's a guard going against bigger all-area types of players."

In a West Suburban Gold field that includes Willowbrook senior post player Milton Colbert and Hinsdale South's Eric Travis, strength inside is a must. In last week's 61-60 loss to Willowbrook the Mustangs were severely outrebounded and outscored in the post.

Downers South (10-9, 3-4) knocked down 10 3-pointers, but also missed several key shots in a streaky shooting performance.

"That's been our thing all year," Runyon said. "We make a lot of tough shots, but we also miss a lot of easy ones. We're an up-and-down shooting team."

Famous last words:ŒAfter 11 straight games without a second scorer in double figures besides center John Shurna, Glenbard West had started to develop some balance.

The Hilltoppers sent Chris Watt and Dave McCaffrey into double figures alongside Shurna in a win over Downers Grove North. Bryant Venson added 10 in a narrow loss to Oak Park.

Though no one followed Shurna into double figures in Glenbard West's win at Hinsdale Central, coach Tim Hoder was pleased with the scoring options provided by Venson, Shane Bryant and Bryan Emmanuel.

Tuesday, with Shurna having missed school and practice with a sore throat, Glenbard West was forced to look for somebody to put points on the board against Driscoll.

Kevin Smith had 14, Bryant 12 and Emmanuel 11 -- in a 65-53 defeat.

"At shoot-around today we're like, 'Oh, he's not there,' " Emmanuel said. "It just changed the mindset of the game completely and you're just like, 'We are really going to miss him.' "

Crazy mixed-up scene: Like last season, when Herscher snapped Seneca's 64-game winning streak in the championship, the second annual Interstate Eight Conference Tournament provided thrills and spills.

Lisle beat Reed-Custer, as expected, before falling to Sandwich, the eventual fourth-place finisher.

The big upset this year was No. 9 seed Manteno bouncing the No. 1 seed, Seneca, 50-45. Manteno then defeated Sandwich -- which had dealt Seneca its only loss to date in league play -- before losing to Westmont for the championship.

Speaking of Lisle, in the Lions' 57-36 IEC win over Plano on Tuesday, sophomore guard Marcus Wilson scored a career-high 25 points. He's cat-like.

A consistent high level: Driscoll 6-foot-10 center Jake Lindfors has led the Highlanders in scoring in 22 of 23 games.

The lone holdout was an 88-59 loss to Buffalo Grove, in which Driscoll coach Nick Latorre pulled his starters early. Don Sullivan's 17 points were 2 more than Lindfors that game.

On the same page as Lindfors is Montini senior swingman Alex Blashewski, who has led the Broncos in scoring 70 percent of the time. When it's not Alex leading Montini in points it's usually … Anthony Blashewski, his younger brother.

St. Francis' Brian McMahon is also doing yeoman work, his team's top scorer in 14 of 19 games.

Well rounded: Earlier this week, Neuqua Valley senior guard Anton Wilkins gave his verbal commitment to Southern Illinois University to play football.

Opponents tackling the air around them as the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Wilkins scurried by would definitely call football his top sport.

After all, at tailback Wilkins finished his third varsity season as the Wildcats' record holder in rushing yardage for a game (345 yards), season (1,485) and career (2,886).

But he's not just a football player playing basketball.

His quickness, toughness and vision translate well to the hardcourt.

Wildcats coach Todd Sutton added that Wilkins is "mature beyond his years."

"He's just all business," Sutton said. "He's there and he is very focused on everything he does. He's very, very disciplined. He knows what he wants and he doesn't let anything else get in the way."

Yet perhaps Wilkins could be more determined in one area, Sutton suggested.

"In the books he's very professional, on the court, on the football field, he's all business," Sutton said. "He should probably have more fun out there."