Glenbard South rallies to beat Kaneland

The Kaneland boys basketball team has Dave Dudzinski, who did his damage early against Glenbard South.

In return, the Raiders have Jordan Harks, who did all his damage late in the game, including scoring 8 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter of Glenbard South's 56-47 Western Sun Conference win over the Knights in Maple Park Tuesday.

"Harks has been stepping up huge," Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke said. "As the season goes, we are going to need him to step up like that. We struggled from the field and luckily Harks was able to knock down some shots."

Harks had 6 points in the first half, four more in the third, including a momentum-swinging putback at the buzzer that tied the game at 38. From there, the Raiders (4-0, 1-0) outscored the Knights 18-9 in the fourth quarter, including a 12-2 run.

"That was huge," Hardtke said. "Three out of our four wins so far, we've either been tied or losing in the fourth quarter, so the guys are really digging in and taking charge in the fourth quarter."

Harks furthered Glenbard South's lead when he dunked with less than a minute left in the game. Ralondo Schumate was the only other Raider in double-digits with 10 points.

"Right now, the team is kind of earning the label of being a grinder," Hardtke said of the Raiders, who are missing two starters out for academic reasons.

Kaneland (2-2, 1-0) scored the first 7 points of the game and led by as much as 22-14 after a 10-2 run led by Dudzinski. The 6-foot-9 junior already had a double-double at the break with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He finished with a game-high 20 points. Ryan Blake added 11 points.

"It was disappointing we played that poorly (in the fourth quarter)," Kaneland coach Dennis Hansen said. "That's what I was disappointed about. Not necessarily on the outcome, but the way we played."

•The Kaneland and Geneva boys basketball teams will play at the United Center on New Year's Eve.

The game starts at 8:45 a.m. Fans can buy tickets for $23 and stay and watch the Bulls game against Orlando at 1 p.m. Tickets must be ordered by Dec. 17.