Fenton can't slow Riverside-Brookfield long enough
Fenton had Riverside-Brookfield right where it wanted the Bulldogs in the early going of Friday's Metro Suburban Conference showdown.
The visiting Bison knew they couldn't keep up with the Bulldogs' high-octane offense, so they tried to slow the pace of the contest.
That worked well for most of the first quarter, but Riverside-Brookfield cranked up the tempo to its liking in the later to surge to a lead it would never lose en route to a 58-49 victory in Riverside.
"We were looking for a game in the 50s to give ourselves a shot down the stretch," said Fenton coach Dennis Cromer, who noted the Bulldogs scored 90 points in a recent win over Illiana Christian. "There is no way we can run up and down the floor with them. They have too much firepower. We did want to slow the pace down."
That is easier said than done against the Bulldogs, who improved their conference record to 5-0 and 12-2 overall. They were led by three players who hit double-figure scoring. Guard Sean McGonagill poured in a game-high 17 points, while center Terrence Reed and guard Billy VandeMerkt tallied 15 and 13 points, respectively. Reed used his quickness on the offensive boards, scoring 9 of his points in the second half.
The Bison (5-10, 2-3) also had three players reach double digits in the scoring column, paced by 13 points by Vince Esposito. Daniel Montano and Robert Palumbo scored 10 points apiece.
While the Fenton defense was limiting Riverside-Brookfield, Esposito hit a pair of shots in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer. Emeka Umeadi also fed Cody Meyer underneath for a bucket to give Fenton a 8-5 lead with 1:40 to play.
"We came out with a good start and tried to play our game and not get into theirs because their fast-paced offense will take us out," Esposito said.
"We were a little out of sync at times offensively," said Riverside-Brookfield coach Tom McCloskey. "We are used to scoring a lot of points and it just wasn't happening. Give Fenton credit. They played us well and executed well at both ends."
McCloskey's team then reeled off 8 unanswered points to take a 13-8 lead after the first quarter. The Bulldogs also had a 7-0 run late in the second quarter to lead 25-19 at halftime.
The Bison fought hard. Cromer thought Baran did a nice job handling the pressure at point guard and the senior scored some key points. His pull-up jumper cut the deficit to 33-30 with 2:45 to play in third quarter.
Meyer came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring all 10 of his points. Riverside-Brookfield just kept rolling while Fenton missed some key free throws late in the game.
"We accomplished what we set out to," Cromer said. "I am very proud of how we played. R-B is an excellent team. Hopefully, this will be a springboard for us to play better."