Timothy Christian rallies to homecoming victory
Timothy Christian’s boys basketball game on Friday also served as its homecoming. Or, as York Township officials might otherwise know it, Fire Code Awareness Night.
Attendance in the Elmhurst gym looked every bit its capacity of 800, from the stuffed bleachers to the homecoming court and its entourage lounging on the baseline stage.
And indeed, there was a fire to put out — the smoking right hand of Ridgewood’s Pete Mroz, who in the first half made six 3-point baskets and scored 20 points.
Stickier man defense and foul trouble limited Mroz to 2 second-half points. While he cooled, Troy Ellens, Tyler VanderBrug and Chad Vos came off the bench to help rally Timothy to a 63-56 Metro Suburban Conference victory.
“Our starters were in a lull, I think caught up with the whole homecoming emotion and everything, and they just weren’t playing to their capabilities,” said Trojans coach Jack LeGrand.
“I thought our other guys showed tremendous mental toughness to come in and be able to give us that energy and those quality minutes at the end of the third (quarter), to really get us back in the ballgame.”
Timothy Christian (14-8, 5-4) sent starters Mike Pizzello, Mark Penczak and Danny Leach into double figures with 15, 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Yet after Timothy led 13-12 after a quarter, Ridgewood rode Mroz’s quick release and deadly accuracy for a 33-28 halftime lead.
Ridgewood (15-7, 5-4) led 43-31 midway through the third quarter on Mroz’s sole second-half basket, a putback.
The Trojans’ subs got busy. Ellens scored off Nate Ziegler’s inbounds pass. VanderBrug canned a 3, Ellens another, and VanderBrug a third to get within 43-42 late in the third.
“It felt great,” said VanderBrug, who entered averaging 0.7 points a game. “I’ve been shooting pretty good in practice, I think, so it felt good to finally put that into the game.”
Timothy’s starters returned early in the fourth quarter just as Mroz left with his fourth foul. Timothy forced three ties before finally breaking the Rebels on Pizzello’s righty flip for a 52-51 Trojans lead with 4:35 to play.
Ridgewood committed 4 turnovers in six possessions while Vos converted Pizzello’s 47-foot pass inside, Chris Ridolphi scored his only basket and Pizzello scored off a Vos assist.
The Trojans had a 58-54 lead with 1:53 left, the crowd behind them and, shortly, a team victory.
“It was just huge,” Pizzello said, “just to know that your bench always has our back and that our bench can always pick us up whenever we need them.”