Osmundsen, Barrington sock it to Libertyville
Lukas Osmundsen had one sock on, one sock off.
The Barrington reserve center had just helped Barrington beat host Libertyville 53-41 in a Class 4A boys basketball regional semifinal Tuesday night.
A trainer treated the Bronco's bare foot immediately after the game.
As Osmundsen started to discuss the condition of the injured wheel to a couple of scribblers, his coach, Bryan Tucker, interjected abruptly.
"It's fine," said Tucker, smiling. "It's fine."
But the 6-foot-5 Osmundsen was better than fine - while wearing a pair of socks - Tuesday night.
Much better.
He scored a team-high 14 points, with 6 coming via putback buckets in the second quarter. "Os" was a wiz as a rebounder as well, collecting 10 boards or 2 fewer than teammate John Schneider's game-high total.
"We were stagnant in that first half, taking bad shots," said Tucker, whose club tallied only 5 points in the first quarter and 12 in the second. "But Lukas was there for a lot of those misses.
"As a team, we did a decent job rebounding, offensively and defensively (47-31, in favor of the Broncos). It allowed us to hang around."
Barrington (19-10) gets to stick around in the playoffs. The MSL West champion, seeded third in its sectional, plays for a regional title at 7:30 p.m. Friday, against the winner of tonight's regional semifinal between sixth-seeded Buffalo Grove and No. 11 Deerfield.
Barrington and Libertyville (12-16) were tied at 17-17 at the break. Schneider (13 points, 3 treys) nailed a 3-pointer to stalemate matters again (24-24), at 4:29 of the third quarter.
It was a crucial basket, because Libertyville senior guard Ryan Barth (16 points) had turned torrid in the frame, netting 6 points in a 45-second span.
"That kid," said Tucker, "did not want his season to end tonight."
The Broncos, who had held Libertyville scoreless for the final 5:01 of the second quarter, used a 12-3 run at the end of the third quarter to seize control. Schneider tossed in 7 in the game-turning stretch, and Barrington enjoyed a comfortable38-29 advantage after three quarters.
"Their offensive rebounds hurt us, really hurt us," Wildcats coach Scott Bogumil said. "Those putback baskets those were big-time baskets."
What also stung Bogumil's club, especially in the second half: Brad Zaumseil's poise. The Barrington sophomore guard took good care of the ball and hit 5-of-6 free throws after the break. He finished with 11 points and connected for the prettiest basket of the night, a fade-away jumper near a free-throw line.
Plus he grabbed 9 boards.
Not too shabby, for a 5-11 hoopster.
Barth's final bucket of his prep career cut Barrington's lead to 42-37, at 3:39 of the fourth quarter. The hosts, though, would tally only one more field goal the rest of the way.
Osmundsen scored Barrington's final basket Tuesday night, before getting that foot checked out by a trainer.
"My role this year?" he said after his double-double and Tucker's on-the-fly assessment. "It varies, from game to game.
"But the most important thing tonight was our team's camaraderie, especially (during the 12-3 run)," he added. "We trusted each other then."
Libertyville junior guard Ellis Matthews dropped 9 of his 11 points in the first half. Teammates Anthony Mack, Joey Eichmann and Luke Mathewson each grabbed 5 rebounds.