Too much Oswego as South Elgin falls short at York

Oswego did something not too many teams have done this season: have too much for South Elgin to handle.

Too much energy. Too much rebounding. Too much pesky defense. Too much good shooting. And, in the end, too many points Saturday night in a decidedly one-sided 62-37 win in the second round of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York.

The Panthers had it all game long, grabbing a 20-5 lead. Except for an 8-point run in the second quarter that got the lead down to 20-13, South Elgin never got the lead below double-digits again, something all too painfully not lost on head coach Chaz Taft.

And while he acknowledged his team's "- shooting had a lot to do with it (14-of-59), we've got to do a lot of other things."

Like play tighter defense, hit the boards, take the ball to the hole instead of taking perimeter shots and generally doing all the little things that keep you in a game when your shooting touch isn't there.

Oswego threw wave after wave of 6-foot-4 forwards at the Storm, cutting off passing lanes and denying them many good looks at the basket. No Storm player reached double figures. Jeffrey Lewis and Alex Sanchez had 8 points apiece and Tommy Childs added 7 off the bench.

The Storm never had an answer for forward Andrew Ziemnik (23 points) and guards Bukky Adeofe and Andrew Galow, who handled every defense the Storm threw at them, including the ability to generate open looks against the press.

And the Storm (9-2) was in foul trouble immediately. Six-foot-9 center Dani Lopez and 6-4 Josh Smith, who provided a temporary lift off the bench, both had quick fouls called on them. Plus the Panthers consistently found the mismatches they sought, often getting Ziemnik, Joe Kwiatkowski, Colin Seibert and any number of their 6-4 posse matched up on a shorter Storm guard.

"We've still got a lot to learn. Our composure was not good. Our court demeanor was bad tonight," said Taft.

By comparison, Oswego's was perfect. The Panthers shot 21-of-41 from the floor, committed just 9 turnovers and regained their composure during the one run South Elgin made in each half.

The Storm, meanwhile, can't wait to get back on the court in Monday's third round, against either York or Conant.

"You've got to learn from this," said Taft. "We're looking at (Monday) as a positive thing."