Bittersweet ending for Glenbard East
PEORIA -- Even after accomplishing the rare feat of winning their last game of the season, Glenbard East's boys basketball players found it hard to smile when it ended Saturday night.
They knew something extremely special was over.
The Rams capped the finest season in program history by beating Normal Community 57-50 in the Class 4A third-place game. In the process Glenbard East (28-4) also broke the program record for wins in a season.
"It was kind of hard getting mentally prepared for this one," said Rams senior point guard Zach Miller. "People say it's kind of nice knowing when your last game is going to be, but at the same time it's kind of sad saying goodbye to some of these guys on the basketball court."
It was a fond farewell.
Normal (27-8) rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to take a 43-42 lead on Anthony Goodar's basket with 4:17 left in the game. Glenbard East responded with a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead for good.
Down the stretch the Rams lived up to their season-long reputation by knocking down 8 straight free throws. Miller in his 80th varsity win over four years hit six of them to finish his high school career with 10 points.
Johnny Hill scored 16 points to close his prep career, while junior Dante Bailey, the lone returning starter for the Rams heading into next season, also finished with 16 points.
"I think it was kind of tough for us, you know, the energy maybe wasn't there that was there last night," said Hill, referring to Friday's semifinal loss to Simeon. "You always want to be playing for first place, but we still wanted to take (third place). We just went out there and gave it our all."
Playing their third game in five days, the Rams admitted they were a little tired. Injuries during the game to Kevin Priebe and Steve Kinney didn't help, but Glenbard East still burst to a 9-2 lead before the Ironmen used an 11-0 run to take a 13-9 advantage.
All 15 players saw action for the Rams, and seven scored. Facing the 13-9 deficit, 8 straight points put Glenbard East ahead until Normal's fourth-quarter run.
Six-foot-eight, 245-pound center Parker Musselman scored a game-high 18 points for the Ironmen. The 6-4 Goodar, also taking advantage of his team's size advantage, added 14 points.
"We took this game very seriously because we wanted to end on a win," said Normal coach Dave Witzig. "We came here to try and get a win and we just couldn't get it done."
The Rams' tired legs showed in their 35 percent shooting from the field. Their 20-of-24 shooting at the line, however, sealed the deal.
At halftime of the title game, the Rams' players finally started laughing as they received their state medals and gathered to accept the third-place trophy from Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.
As sad as it is to say goodbye, they'll definitely enjoy this.
"It's really going to be tough," said Rams coach Scott Miller. "We lose six seniors that were the heart and soul of this program."