Glenbard West wins from deep
Glenbard West hit Driscoll with the old bait and switch on Tuesday.
In the first half the Hilltoppers scored inside. Driscoll adjusted to protect the paint and Glenbard West's Jud Anderson and Kevin Smith torched it from 3-point land.
The result was a 62-45 nonconference win for host Glenbard West, which made 25 of 41 shots, 9 of 12 from the 3-point arc.
Longball wasn't dictated by game events but was strategy nonetheless.
"For us to be more aggressive and shoot with confidence was a definite strategy," said Hilltoppers coach Tim Hoder. "We've been getting good looks from 3, we haven't been knocking them down. We haven't been stepping into them with confidence. We've been working on that and talking about it, and tonight we did."
Anderson in particular. The senior guard made five of six 3-point tries and scored 17 points to tie his career high from Dec. 2. Smith, a senior forward, went 3 of 4 from the arc and scored 11 points.
"It comes and goes," Anderson said. "You have streaks where you make, like today, five. And then some games you won't make any. But you've just got to keep shooting."
Driscoll (10-10) launched shots, too. Glenbard West (8-12) made theirs.
Driscoll senior big men Matt Kaban and Austin Baker, who scored 19 and 14 points, respectively, were the sole Highlanders to make a first-half basket, while six Glenbard West players sank field goals.
Getting life off the bench from David Martz, rebounding from Chris Cochrane and heady floor leadership from Dave McCaffrey and Bryant Venson, all but one Hilltoppers basket came in the lane to build a 29-16 first-half lead.
"Our emphasis in the locker room was to protect the paint and contest the shot," said Driscoll coach Adam Szyszko, who ordered a 2-3 zone. "Then, of course, in the second half they hit eight 3s, and that's tough to defend."
Baker, Kaban and junior guard Mario Grana assembled a microburst that pulled Driscoll within 44-31 early in the fourth quarter. Glenbard West rattled off 7 straight points for a 20-point lead with 4:33 to play.
"They hit one 3 in the first half then they come out and hit eight in the second," said Baker, who made 3 steals and blocked a shot. "They just played good all together tonight."
glenbard west 62, driscoll 45
Driscoll - Grana 2 2-2 6, Calabrese 0 0-0 0, Schwabe 0 0-2 0, Baker 5 4-4 14, Kaban 8 3-7 19, Calhoun 0 0-0 0, Schiller 1 0-0 2, Lazar 1 1-1 3, Woods 0 0-0 0, Albreski 0 0-0 0, Hennessy 0 1-2 1, Scheitz 0 0-0 0, Farganus 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 11-18 45.
Glenbard West - McCaffrey 3 0-0 6, Anderson 6 0-0 17, Cochrane 3 1-2 7, Smith 4 0-0 11, A. Thompson 0 0-0 0, Martz 5 0-0 10, Emanuel 1 0-0 2, Marston 0 0-0 0, Venson 2 2-4 6, Schmid 0 0 0, Walor 0 0-0 0, C. Thompson 1 0-0 3, Malone 0 0-0 0,. Totals 25 3-6 62.
Driscoll 7 9 13 16 -45
Glenbard West 15 14 15 18 -62
3-point baskets: GW: Anderson 5, Smith 3, C. Thompson.
Fouled out: None.