Timothy Christian rolls
In team basketball Timothy Christian’s boys had the edge.
It earned a big edge on the scoreboard. The Trojans scored their season high in a 77-53 nonconference win over visiting Aurora Christian on Tuesday in Elmhurst.
Ball movement led to scoring opportunities inside and out for the Trojans, who were led by sophomore Danny Leach’s 19 points and senior Mike Pizzello with 17. Mark Penczak added 9 points.
“I think offensively we’ve really been working hard on getting better ball movement,” said Timothy Christian coach Jack LeGrand. “I thought our kids really passed the ball and shared the ball well, and thus we become better shooters.
“And then defensively I thought our whole team just played real solid defense, good team defense rotating over and guarding guys and closing out.”
Timothy Christian (11-7) led 19-10 after a quarter against a 2-3 zone, then kicked it up a notch to convert 17 of 24 shots in the second and third quarters combined to post a 65-37 lead over Aurora Christian (9-11).
“We were really moving the ball well tonight around the perimeter and inside, which we haven’t been doing a good job of this year,” Leach said. “We’ve really struggled in passing and really been focusing on it in practice. And it seemed like we were running up and down the court, too.”
Aurora Christian’s wheels started to come off just 43 seconds in when starter Grayson Roberts pulled up with back spasms.
Pizzello, a 6-foot-3 swingman and post defender by necessity during Timothy’s 2010 supersectional run, drew the assignment on Eagles point guard Dean Danos.
Chad Vos also took Danos at times, and the duo limited the Richards transfer to 5 points, 15 under his average.
“Coach has asked me to guard all these different players, so I just take whoever he asks me to take,” Pizzello said.
Timothy Christian came out of halftime on a 14-2 run capped by Matt Robinson’s 2 straight steals and 3 free throws. Displeased, Aurora Christian coach Steve Hanson turned almost solely to his bench.
Hanson’s son, Jake, led the Eagles with 16 points. Trenton Pouncy added 8 points, Nick Marema 7.
“We knew coming in they were very good defensively and we had to execute, and we just decided that we didn’t want to,” Steve Hanson said. “We didn’t run anything and just tried to be 1-on-5. They’re (Timothy) too good for that.”