Viator has right combination

With junior forward Richard McLoughlin dominating under the basket and senior guard Bryce Hensley on fire beyond the arc, all was right for the St. Viator boys basketball team in its efficient 56-46 win over visiting Highland Park on Wednesday night.

St. Viator's annual Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament has treated the Lions (2-0) well so far, and the squad will play Conant at 5 p.m. Friday for the title.

There were few, if any, flaws in the Lions' game, and the role players made their presence known. McLoughlin racked up 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and tallied 7 rebounds to lead the team in both categories.

"He can help us with big buckets and his rebounding was tremendous," Viator coach Joe Majkowski said of McLoughlin. "And that's what we have got to have out of him. It's good to see him step up and do that."

"I got great looks from my teammates and that really helped out," McLoughlin added.

Some of those looks came from Hensley (17 points), who was finding the open man when he wasn't making one of his five 3-pointers.

"I wasn't doing anything differently, I just felt really good tonight," Hensley said. "I was a little shaky against Harlan (on Tuesday) but tonight was a lot better."

If Hensley and Majkowski have their way, Wednesday won't be the last time the senior co-captain turns in a stunning performance from 3-point range.

"That's Bryce's game," Majkowski said. "He's a confident kid and when he gets his stroke, he's pretty good from out there."

Junior guard Alan Aboona added 8 points, including a pair of 3s, and Jack Etchingham and Brendan King contributed 4 points apiece for Viator. Marin Kukoc, the son of former Bull Toni Kukoc, had 12 points for Highland Park (0-2).