Hilltoppers can't overcome 'off night'

The timing wasn't great, but it could've been a lot worse for Glenbard West.

The Hilltoppers had one of those games where very little went right, losing to Oak Park 52-42 Saturday night in a West Suburban Silver matchup in Glen Ellyn.

"We had an off night and Oak Park had a lot to do with it," Hilltoppers coach Mike Hofland said. "They were really active in their (2-3) zone, and we didn't move the ball around as well as we are capable of. Our inside action wasn't what it normally is. We didn't get the ball inside. We didn't have the movement. They just did a real nice job of forcing us into spots we didn't want to be in.

"We've been playing so well lately we were due for a little bit of a letdown. You hope you can fight through the letdown and get the win, but they beat us tonight."

Oak Park (11-11, 6-3) took an 11-4 lead after one quarter, but Glenbard West (15-6, 6-2) opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run. The shots started going awry again, however, and Glenbard West couldn't sustain the run or keep the lead.

"We started pretty well," Oak Park coach Bob Biggins said. "We only gave up 4 points in the first quarter. So you know they're better than that and they're going to wind up with a more appropriate score, and they did. I think the key was we came out strong in the third quarter, played real tough defensively, got some good looks and were able to convert."

The Oak Park lead hit double digits on a Casey Blaha 3-pointer with 2:41 left in the third quarter. Glenbard West worked the margin down to 6 points but couldn't get any closer.

"This is certainly one of our most satisfying victories," Biggins said. "We know they've got good shooters. They're a fine team, and they're well-coached and I have nothing but respect for them."

Glenbard West made just 33 percent of its shots, 19 percent from 3-point range.

"We've been making those all year, and if we miss, we don't miss as many as we did," Hofland said. "It's an off night for us. You hate for it to happen on Pack the Place night, but I'd rather it happen now than in the regionals."

Abbey White led the Hilltoppers with 15 points, and Abbie Hastings added 10.