Glenbard North winning streak ends
After two days of Waubonsie Valley's Warrior Christmas Classic, it looked as if fans might just end up with an all-DuPage Valley Conference title game.
But that was before Plainfield Central snapped Glenbard North's five-game winning streak with an impressive 70-53 victory Wednesday that sends the 8-2 Wildcats into Saturday's championship game against Naperville North. The Panthers, meanwhile, will settle for a third-place contest against Marmion at 5:45 p.m. Saturday in Aurora.
"That was our goal," Glenbard North coach Joe Larson said of hoping to face league foe Naperville North in the finals. "But we ran into a buzz-saw."
The Wildcats were just too tough to contain on offense, as 6-foot-7 Justin Scanlan made 9 of 12 shots form the floor to score a game-high 20 points, while teammates Winston Williams and Derek Marks played the transition game well and scored 16 points apiece.
"You've got to give them a lot of credit," Larson said. "They're tough inside and we couldn't find an answer for them defensively."
Scanlan scored 12 points and the Wildcats made 15 of 27 shots through two quarters for a 33-25 lead. At the same time Teo Ervin's defense helped hold Panthers star James Fleming to just 4 free throws in the first half. Fleming, who scored 33 points the previous night, finished with 15 after hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the second half.
"Teo Ervin did a great job on James, who is one of the best players around," Plainfield Central coach Steve Lamberti said. "They're a tough team to defend against."
Reggie Davis tallied 8 of his 12 points in the first half for Glenbard North, but Williams scored 10 as the Wildcats led by 8 at the intermission. Twenty Panthers turnovers helped the Wildcats convert several opportunities into quick buckets.
"We didn't play real well as a team," Glenbard North guard Anthony Keener said. "But they were big and they hit all their shots. We just have to come out and play better in the third-place game."
Mike Carev helped the Panthers with a pair of 3s and 8 total points, but it was not nearly enough on a night when Plainfield Central shot a blistering 29 of 47.
"When you work hard and get good shots you expect them to fall," said Lamberti, whose team will play at the Lemont tourney Saturday morning and then travel to Waubonsie Valley that night for the championship game with Naperville North.
"We've got a lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket. "We knew we had a size advantage, and tonight we made the extra pass and we took advantage of it."