Barrington takes 3rd at Jacobs

Playing in a third-place game can sometimes be a difficult scenario.

Getting back on the floor a day after a trying loss, motivation can be lacking.

Barrington didn't let its semifinal loss diminish what it accomplished at the Jacobs Holiday Classic. The Broncos held Bartlett to just 4 first-quarter points Thursday night and cruised to a 57-40 victory over the Hawks in the third-place game in Algonquin.

“That was a tough loss (Wednesday) night,” Barrington coach Bryan Tucker said of his team's 52-50 loss to Huntley in the semifinals. “We were disappointed we weren't playing for the championship, but, you know what, it doesn't matter. I was really proud of our kids not letting that carry into this game.”

The Broncos (9-6) went 3-2 in the tournament, playing every game without leading scorer Greg Gerrard, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. Tucker said he expects the senior to be back when the Broncos return to action Jan. 4.

“We definitely had a lot of people step up,” said Barrington junior John Schneider, who finished with 11 points against Bartlett. “Greg is a big part of our offense and defense. To bring people off the bench and get wins, and keep the other games close, is big.”

Barrington held the Hawks (8-7) to 2-for-11 shooting in the opening quarter and led 12-4. The Broncos picked up the scoring pace in the second, going 8-for-11 from the field. Schneider led the way with 6 points as the Broncos took a 30-19 lead into halftime.

Bartlett was not able to mount much of a rally in the second half and did not get closer than 15 in the final 13 minutes.

“We made it hard on ourselves,” Hawks coach Jim Wolfsmith said. “We allowed the refs and the way they play defense to take us out of our game.”

Lukas Osmundsen added 11 points and 9 rebounds for the Broncos. Owen Prunskis finished with 10 points. All-tournament selection Tyler Weathered had 8.

Matt Chaltin led the Hawks with 13 points. Lance Whitaker added 9. Both were all-tournament selections.