Timothy stays in control vs. Lisle
Timothy Christian point guard Reggie Greenwood sat early with foul trouble, but the Trojans' experience and balance kept Lisle from taking control.
Timothy extended a 6-point halftime lead into a 70-50 victory on Tuesday in a Class 2A Aurora Christian regional semifinal.
"Reggie means a lot," Timothy Christian coach Jack LeGrand said of the senior. "Obviously, he's the foundation for our team and he helps out so many other people. But what's nice now is that we had a pretty balanced attack today, so everyone kind of helps Reggie, too."
Top seed Timothy Christian (21-6) was a big happy family that advanced to Friday's 7:30 p.m. regional final against No. 2 seed Westmont, a 61-46 winner over Aurora Christian.
Greenwood scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half. Justin Peeples had a game-long impact with 17 points and 3 steals, along with Mark Penczak with 16 points, Mike Pizzello with 12 points and 5 steals and Rob Stein with 10 points.
Chad Vos spelled Greenwood to play decent defense against cat-quick Lisle guard Marcus Wilson, who forced the 2 early fouls on Greenwood and ended a solid prep career with a game-high 22 points.
"The offense was rolling, but better defense would have helped," Wilson said. "We weren't getting back on defense, they were pushing up-tempo. They're a fast-pace playing team. We played their style instead of playing how we play."
No. 4 Lisle (13-17) had beaten Plano in the regional opener by scoring inside with Phil Palicka and Chris Wray, who hit Timothy with 14 points. Nine of his points came in a first-half Timothy led only 32-26.
The Trojans' 11-4 run coming out of halftime essentially sealed the deal.
Greenwood hit a pull-up jumper then made a steal leading to a Peeples three-point play. Pizzello converted another three-point play, then Peeples and Stein made 3 free throws while Lisle countered only with a basket apiece by Wray and Palicka.
"I think it just encouraged us all to play harder," Peeples said of Greenwood's early absence, "and when he got back in we just got things moving."
Up 52-39 after three quarters and the crafty Greenwood at the point, that was all the buffer Timothy needed.
"They're not a good team to be behind, and we found ourselves in that position," said Lions coach Mark LaScala.