Timothy gets good look at future rival

A year from now Timothy Christian and Fenton will be partners in the Metro Suburban Conference.

The Trojans are hoping Tuesday's boys basketball game in Bensenville was a sign of things to come.

Rolling from the tip, Timothy Christian cruised to a 54-36 nonconference victory. Nonconference for now, anyway.

With the dissolution of the Private School League, next year Timothy Christian and Illiana Christian will jointhe MSC, now a group of four that also includes Riverside-Brookfield, Elmwood Park and Ridgewood.

For now, though, the Trojans (11-5) are looking no further than making the most of their final season in the PSL. Tied atop the standings at 3-0, Timothy Christian's Tuesday tuneup came at a good time.

"Just take it one game at a time, that's all we want to do," said Trojans junior guard Reggie Greenwood. "We just want to keep getting better each game out."

That mission certainly was accomplished against Fenton (3-14), which continued a frustrating trend of struggling offensively. Timothy Christian took advantage immediately by sprinting to a 25-8 lead midway through the second quarter.

Despite a 10-3 run that stemmed the tide, Fenton never could slice the deficit to single digits. While 19 turnovers told part of the story, the Bison also endured a 3-of-14 shooting night from the line.

"We just struggle to score," said Bison coach Dennis Cromer, whose team lost for the 10th straight time. "Every mistake we make really haunts us because every possession is so important. It's been a struggle."

Leading 27-16 at halftime, Timothy Christian unleashed third-quarter runs of 8-0 and 10-0 while building a 20-point margin.

Ten of the Trojans' 13 players dented the scoreboard led by Greenwood's 15 points. Kordel Smith added 11 points off the bench.

Peter Surma scored 8 of his 13 points for Fenton in the fourth quarter. Emeka Umeadi pitched in 10 points.

"We're at the point where we're in a crucial stretch with conference play," said Trojans coach Jack LeGrand. "That's our focus right now. We'll get to know Fenton a lot more starting next year."