Labedzki, Hawks heat up in time

Through 3 quarters, Luke Labedzki made only 5-of-17 shots from the field for 10 points. The Bartlett junior forward was 0-of-5 from 3-point range.

Labedszki made up for his 24-minute slump with a productive fourth quarter. Scoring 8 points, including a pair of crucial 3-pointers in the final eight minutes, Labedski ended with 18 points to help lead the Hawks to a 67-61 win over Marian Central in the fifth-place game of the Jacobs Holiday Tournament in Algonquin on Saturday afternoon.

"I tell the kids shooters shoot and Luke is an excellent shooter," said Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith. "I don't care how many shots in a row he misses - I want him to shoot. He can score the ball from anywhere on The court. He struggled during the first 3 quarters, but he hit a couple of huge 3's in the fourth quarter."

Marian Central (7-8), which trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter, Climbed within 7 of the Hawks (8-3) at 48-41 on a layup by Andy Stochl with 6:12 left in the game.

Enter Labedzki. The junior canned a pair of long 3s to give the Hawks a double digit 54-41 advantage with 4:58 remaining.

"I always have the green light to shoot,"said Labedzki. "My shots weren't falling the first 3 quarters, but I continued to play hard at both ends. I finally got into a good rhythmn in the fourth quarter and hit a couple of 3s. It felt good."

Bartlett's biggest lead of the fourth quarter and game was 17, 58-41 after Marc Little hit a driving layup with 3:22 left.

But the Hurricanes refused to give in and got to within 4 65-61 on a 3 by Danny Noonan with 12 seconds left. Little's 2 free throws with 3 seconds left sealed the win for Bartlett.

Little paced the Hawks with 26 points, 6 assists and 5 steals.

Noonan led the Hurricanes with 24, 18 in the second half, while Stochl Added 18 before fouling out with 1:44 left in the game.