Addison Trail finishes against Fenton

Addison Trail's boys basketball team has held many leads this season.

Keeping those leads hasn't been so easy.

But with an emphasis on finishing what they started, the Blazers never trailed in a 55-45 win over Fenton in Tuesday's nonconference game in Bensenville.

After taking a 6-3 advantage on a Manny Martinez 3-pointer in the opening minutes, Addison Trail (5-9) led the rest of the way.

“This was a good game for us,” said Blazers coach Brendan Lyons. “For us to build a lead early, and hold that lead, that was something that we haven't been doing.”

Tyler Horvath, Martinez and freshman James Pupillo knocked down first-quarter 3-pointers as Addison Trail built a 16-9 lead. Fenton (3-12) made hints at a second-quarter comeback but a 10-2 run by the Blazers — sparked by Pupillo's 5 straight points — allowed them to extend the margin to 29-17.

“I thought we played good as a team, moving the ball and getting everyone involved,” Pupillo said. “We just need to keep our composure at the end of games. We had better ball movement and we trusted each other. We just need to do that more as a team.”

Fenton's struggles, meanwhile, weren't difficult to pinpoint. After 4-of-13 first-quarter shooting from the field put the Bison in an early hole, 2-of-16 fourth-quarter shooting stymied any attempt at a rally.

Three times Fenton pulled within 8 points in the fourth quarter with chances to further dent the deficit, but poor shooting never allowed the Bison to get any closer. Especially frustrating were the many misses from inside the paint.

Despite the offensive woes on both sides — including 5-of-14 free-throw shooting by the Blazers — 16 of the 17 players who took the court scored.

Pupillo scored 8 of his game-high 15 points in the second quarter, while Trgo had 11 points and 9 rebounds for the Blazers. Ricky Diaz scored 5 of his 7 points as Addison Trail maintained its fourth-quarter advantage.

Fenton leading scorer Dan Montano tallied 10 of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, including 6 free throws. Will Payne added 10 points in the post.

“Our shooting has been an issue for us all year,” said Fenton coach Dennis Cromer. “It's getting a little discouraging because they try to come out and work hard. But when the ball doesn't drop, pretty much day after day, it becomes a grind to keep things going.”