Tough break(s) for VH as N. Chicago pulls away
Vernon Hills and coach Matt McCarty knew the task was rather daunting as the Cougars tried to hand visiting North Chicago its first loss in the Prairie Division of the North Suburban Conference. But the task was made even tougher when the Cougars lost star sophomore DaVaris Daniels late in the first quarter.
"You could see him rising above everyone else and taking the ball away," McCarty said of Daniels. "He is our best athlete and he had 5 rebounds already to that point. To lose him early was tough."
Daniels cut the inside of his mouth in a scramble for a loose ball and didn't return until midway through the third quarter. By then, the damage had been done. During Daniels' absence, the Warhawks turned a tie game into a 20-point difference. The 22-2 burst North Chicago used led the Warhawks to a convincing 76-53 win Tuesday night at Vernon Hills.
"We wanted to keep the score in the 60s and we felt like if we did that we had a good chance," McCarty said. "But North Chicago did a great job of getting out and pushing the ball and once they get going it's hard to stop them."
North Chicago (16-2, 8-0) trailed the Cougars 24-20 after back-to-back buckets by Art Royzengurt (6 points). It would be the last lead for Vernon Hills.
The Warhawks kicked it into high gear led by senior Keith Ford, who had 15 of his game high 24 points in the first half to lead the Warhawks to a 37-26 halftime cushion.
While Ford and senior Demetrius Starks (17 points) dominated the perimeter, senior Joshua Wright controlled the paint. His 15 points and 17 boards paved the way for the Warhawks' offense.
"Josh didn't play a whole lot last year but he worked so hard for us over the summer and now he is the leading rebounder in the county," North Chicago coach Gerald Coleman said.
North Chicago built the lead to over 20 points in the third quarter led by 17 additional points from junior Demetrius Starks. Vernon Hills (10-8, 4-2) went without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes during the run.
Finally, senior Riaz Hoveydai broke the string with his second 3-pointer of the night. Hoveydai led the Cougars with 19 points.
When Daniels returned, the Cougars were hit with another tough injury. Junior forward Chris Morgan lost two bottom teeth in a scrum under the bucket late in the game and may be lost for an extended period. Morgan was the only other Cougar to hit double figures; he finished with 14 points.