Glenbard South clutch at the line vs. Fenton

Glenbard South needed every bit of clutch free-throw shooting to escape Bensenville with a 47-43 Metro Suburban Conference victory over Fenton on Tuesday night.

The Raiders went 12 of 14 from the line, including a sparkling 7 of 8 down the stretch to pull out the hard-fought conference victory.

Glenbard South (9-11, 6-2) started the game much like the frigid weather outside, ice cold. The Raiders managed only 1 point in the first 5:44 of the first quarter and needed a buzzer-beater to give them 5 points for the entire opening period.

However, Fenton (7-17, 2-6) struggled after a quick start and led 6-5 after one quarter. Neither team could hit many open shots, especially Fenton, which missed numerous shots from close range.

"We were running our offense fine, but our shots weren't falling," Fenton senior forward Dan Montano said. "Our play with the backdoor cut was open, but it wasn't falling and everyone was missing shots, then I got into foul trouble and it's hard to play like that."

Montano finished with a game-high 17 points.

Glenbard South received a big boost from guard Jon Berrospi in the second quarter, as the 5-foot-9 junior hit two 3-pointers and tallied 8 second-quarter points to give the Raiders a 18-17 halftime lead. Berrospi finished with a team-high 14 points.

"Their zone was open in the middle so we tried to attack it there and reverse the ball opposite and they left me wide open," Berrospi said. "My teammates fed me and I was knocking them down."

Glenbard South came out blazing to start the second half, opening the half with a 12-3 run. Junior forward Dusko Despot led the charge with 6 points in the first 1:10 of the third quarter, and he also snared 5 rebounds to stake the Raiders to a 32-26 lead after three quarters.

Fenton would not roll over though, as Montano led the Bison back within 2 points with only 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Montano went to the foul line 13 times in the second half as the Bison inched their way back into the game.

"I was having trouble with my jump shot so coach (Dennis Cromer) told me to get to the foul line and they finally started going in," Montano said.

However, the Raiders would not crack down the stretch, icing the game away from the foul line with Berrospi, Joe Harks and Matt Jeske going a combined 7 of 8 in the waning moments to preserve the victory.

"Our energy wasn't there early on, then the second half came and we knew we had to play harder because they came off a big win Friday," Berrospi said. "Dusko took over in the third, Harks hit some big shots as usual and we pulled it out."

For Fenton it was another stinging loss.

"They had that little spurt to start the second half and we couldn't come all the way back from that," Montano said.