Elgin nabs 1st win
What do you get when you play solid defense, dominate the backboards and prudently exercise high-percentage shot selection?
Your first victory of the year, that's what. For Elgin's boys basketball team, that was the case Friday night in a 60-34 complete effort over Holy Trinity at the Buffalo Grove Thanksgiving Tournament.
Frustrated after losses to taller, deeper Stevenson and the hosts so far in this round-robin event, the Maroons (1-2), with a victory Saturday over Lakes Community, would come out of this difficult tourney with a .500 record.
"That's what we're working to do," said point guard Tom Roth, whose 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-3 on 3-pointers, paced the Maroons. Playing a little shorthanded right now because of a few injuries, the Maroons "-brought defensive intensity," Friday night, Roth added.
"We stuck it to them on the defensive side," and everyone hit the boards in establishing a 30-13 advantage. "Everyone's got to step up," until the inside tall guys get healthy, he noted.
For head coach Mike Sitter, Roth's shooting is a nice problem to have, especially since he's such an effective point guard. Junior Mike Richards showed flashes of grooming nicely into the position eventually though.
Around the basket, meanwhile, Gurveer Raju helped pace the rebounding advantage and added 12 points. Eight of the 10 Maroons who played put up points. Alek Kanlic (8 points) and super-quick Tim Newcombe (6) complemented the high scorers nicely and helped force 12 turnovers out of the opposition (1-3).
Elgin shot 26-of-47 from the floor in generating high-percentage looks as well, much of that because of Roth's patience at the point running the offense.
"I'd probably rather be a shooter," he said through a tongue-in-cheek smile after the game. "But if coach needs me to handle the ball, that's what I'll do."
Elgin broke the game open with an 11-point run from the first quarter into the second and was never seriously challenged after Roth and Kanlic scored on drives to give the Maroons a double-digit lead which stayed that the way the rest of the game.