Nice start for Conant

They're tall, long-armed, can handle the ball, and pressure it. They disrupt passing lanes, block shots and alter others. They force turnovers.

Yes, Conant shows every indication it is ready to win a third straight Mid-Suburban boys basketball title, and the Cougars got their season started Tuesday night in a convincing 49-24 non-conference win over Highland Park in the opening round of the St. Viator Thanksgiving Tournament.

With tall, lengthy guards Tim Gilhooly (20 points) and Tony Rizzo (11) leading the way, all 16 Cougars played, seven scored and Conant used a 12-0 run from the first quarter into the second to break the game open. The Cougars were spurred by their defense, forcing 14 first-half turnovers while surrendering just 9 points.

"I think we stepped it up defensively," said Gilhooly. And even if they don't shoot well, "We'll always bring our defense."

Rizzo did the job, meanwhile, on Toni Kukoc's son Marin, a 6-foot-6 junior who hit his first two shots, but that was it for him. With help from Tim Lomas, Cameron Leavitt and Taylor Peterson, they outrebounded the Giants 22-14 and blocked three shots. Peterson consistently fed cutters Rizzo, Gilhooly and Leavitt on the fastbreak, most of the time set up by the defense.

"Our guards are pretty big and David Trinco is just a bulldog on defense," said head coach Tom McCormack, whose teams are trademarked by their ballhawking. Like Gilhooly, he acknowledged the value of playing defense even when the offense is struggling.

"We hope we can always give ourselves a chance," to be in every game, he noted. The Cougars play Chicago-Harlan at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday as the round-robin tournament continues.