Glenbard East gets off to good start

It's not going to be a whole lot of fun playing Glenbard East again this season.

Glenbard North found out first-hand what the rest of the DuPage Valley Conference will learn in due time: the Rams are every bit as good this year as they were during an unbeaten DVC season last year.

Glenbard East (2-0) jumped out to an early lead and coasted to an 82-66 victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night in the District 87 Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Rams were leading 10-6 in the first quarter when a Zach Miller 3-point basket started them on a 14-point run. Glenbard North never got closer than 10 points the rest of the game.

“It's always good to jump on them early,” Rams coach Scott Miller said. “We've got some good quickness and we're pretty long and athletic.”

The Rams threw a full-court trap press at Glenbard North, forcing 9 first-quarter turnovers.

“We didn't handle the beginning of the game very well,” Panthers coach Joe Larson said. “I was surprised by that. I thought our seniors were ready for that type of game, but we just didn't handle it very well, so that was disappointing. I know we're going to learn from that and be ready for that type of situation next time.”

The Panthers had no answer for the Rams' Johnny Hill, a senior who will play at Illinois State next year. Hill finished with 28 points on 9-of-10 shooting. He added 5 assists and 4 steals.

“He was feeling it, no doubt about it,” the Rams coach added. “He had a great shooting night. It was much better than last night. I thought he let the game come to him tonight. He didn't force as much, and I think he actually looked better because of that.

Junior Dante Bailey added 18 points for the Rams, while NIU-bound Zach Miller finished with 14 points, 11 assists and 3 steals.

“Dante really finished well around the basket,” Scott Miller said. “He's a kid that is going to surprise a lot of people as we go on. He's a pretty talented kid, so I was pleased with that too.”

Josh Fleming scored 16 points and Anthony Keener 15 for Glenbard North (1-1).

“They're a good team,” Scott Miller said of the Panthers. “They didn't quit. I think you've got to give North a lot of credit for that, because I don't care how much we were ahead, I never felt comfortable. They kept coming, and that's a tribute to them. They're going to win some games this year.”