Oyewole, Bartlett turn away CL South

Femi Oyewole isn't usually Bartlett's first option for long-range shots, but the 6-foot-6 senior stepped up and stepped out when needed Tuesday night.

His two 3-pointers ignited a 15-0 second-half run that led the Hawks to a 48-35 nonconference victory against Crystal Lake South in Gator Alley.

After the Gators had cut a double-digit lead to just 2 early in the third quarter, Oyewole hit long-range shots on back-to-back possessions. Matt Chaltin followed with another bomb and the Hawks quickly led 34-17.

"Femi Oyewole really stepped up for us," said Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith. "Normally we count on Matt Chaltin to do the bulk of our outside shooting. He couldn't quite find his rhythm and that happens sometimes." Oyewole finished with a game-high 14 points, while Chaltin added 13 for Bartlett (5-4). Lorenzo Mitchell added 10 for the Hawks.

Kevin Rogers finished with 10 points. Gavin Ruin added 8 points and 5 rebounds, and Ethan Breitenstein had 7 points for the Gators (4-3).

"We normally come out slow in the third quarter, so coach told us to come out fast, and we tried to make a run," said Oyewole. "We just take what they give us, basically."

The Gators started as cold as the weather outside. They made just 4 of 24 first-half shots, but only trailed by 5 at the break. After scoring the last 4 points of the first half, they got 3 more to start the second half, closing to within 2 at 17-15. After the teams traded baskets, the Hawks started their big run.

"They were very physical and we didn't handle it very well," said South coach Dan DeBruycker of the slow start. "We didn't execute well, we took some bad shots early. You can't score 3 points in one quarter and 6 in another and think you're going to win a varsity game."

Led by two big buckets by Rogers and a pair of 3-pointers by Rubin, the Gators made one last charge. They scored 13 points in the first 3 minutes of the fourth quarter to make it 44-31, but could get no closer.