Glenbard South shoots just well enough to win
As Glenbard South's boys basketball team heads toward its toughest section of schedule, one glaring fact hangs over the Raiders.
They must start shooting better.
The Raiders took a step in the right direction, at least in the second half of Tuesday's Western Sun Conference game against Sycamore in Glen Ellyn.
Rallying from a double-digit deficit, the Raiders surged late for a 61-56 victory.
With wicked WSC road games looming against Geneva and Batavia, Glenbard South (8-9, 5-4) can't afford another sluggish start. Following an abysmal shooting performance in Friday's loss to Kaneland, the Raiders opened Tuesday's game with 2-of-7 first-quarter shooting and 6-of-18 second-quarter shooting.
Sycamore (7-9, 1-5) took advantage with a 10-0 run early in the game and built a 21-11 advantage in the second quarter on Josh Reed's 3-pointer. Glenbard South's Trace Wanless somehow hit an over-the-shoulder shot with his back to the basket to pull the Raiders within 29-22 at the half.
"We didn't have school today, so maybe everyone was laying around or something," Raiders guard Mike Rovansek said of the team's slow start. "The second half we really picked it up and started playing."
The Raiders started the second half with a three-point play by 6-foot-9 Dylan Rheault, and Rovansek hit a pair of 3-pointers. Rovansek then converted his own three-point play to tie the score at 34.
Hitting 6 of 13 shots in the third quarter and knocking down 6 of 9 fourth-quarter shots, the Raiders steadily pulled away. Forcing 9 turnovers in the fourth quarter didn't hurt, either.
"It was nice to see us close the game out," said Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke. "We showed a little bit of poise and a little bit of control. That's something I think we've been missing, especially down the stretch."
Glenbard South claimed the lead for good at the end of the third quarter on a Wanless basket. Rovansek scored 7 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, while Rheault, who added 16 points, made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch. Sam Ford scored 14 points off the bench for Sycamore, while Tom Brown added 10 points.
"We really tried to come out with defensive intensity in the second half," Rovansek said. "I think that just carried over to the offensive side of the ball because we were able to create points off their turnovers."