Pizzello, Timothy slip past Fenton
After a nip-and-tuck battle, it seemed fitting that the boys basketball game between Timothy Christian and Fenton came down to the wire Friday night in Elmhurst.
With its first Metro Suburban Conference victory hanging in the balance, Fenton had a chance as time expired but fell short once again in a thrilling 53-51 Timothy Christian victory.
Fenton (5-16, 0-5) got off to a quick start, jumping out to an early 8-3 lead. But foul trouble for forward Jeremy Shimanek and center Will Payne slowed down the offensive flow for the Bison, which allowed the Trojans to only trail by 1 after the first quarter.
"We didn't start well and coach (Jack) LeGrand got in our ear a little bit to step it up as a team and pull it together," Trojans senior forward Mike Pizzello said, who scored a team-high 14 points.
Timothy Christian (9-7, 3-3) kept the momentum going after a sluggish start. The Trojans took their first lead of the game with 4:40 to go in the first half. However, they went the next 4:20 without a point as the Bison battled back to take a 24-23 lead heading into the half.
The teams see-sawed their way back and forth in the third quarter until the final 40 seconds, as the Trojans went on a late 6-0 run to take a 4-point lead after three quarters. Fenton found itself hampered by the pressure of Timothy Christian and turned the ball over numerous times as it fell behind after three quarters.
"We've faced teams that have pressured us similarly, but I don't have an answer why their pressure bothered us," Fenton coach Dennis Cromer said.
Despite the turnovers Fenton clawed its way back in the fourth quarter, tying the game with just less than a minute left in regulation. Leading the charge for the Bison was senior forward Dan Montano, as he poured in a game-high 21 points.
"We've been better with the turnovers, I think our high for the season was 15, but it was an off game and everybody, including myself, seemed a little slow," Montano said of his team's 19 turnovers.
A Pizzello basket down low gave Timothy Christian a 2-point lead with 10 seconds left, but the Bison raced back the other way. Montano missed a 3-pointer and a putback by senior Kyle Moriarity just rolled out as time expired. Moriarity finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds.
"We ran the play to perfection," Pizzello said of his game-winning basket. "Chris Ridolphi waited for the screen and made a great pass and I was able to finish. They ranked us seventh in the conference preseason, and we're trying to make a statement."
The storyline was all too familiar for the Bison as they are still searching for their first conference victory.
"We've had a tough season, so we've learned how to fight back, but eventually we have to start winning," Montano said.
His coach felt the same frustrations.
"One of the things that has plagued us all year is the inconsistencies, and that was the story of the game," Cromer said.