Defense keys Glenbard South win over Fenton
Both boys basketball teams went home after Friday night's 45-31 Glenbard South win over host Fenton happy about their respective defenses and for other reasons.
The win pushed the Raiders to the .500 mark overall at 4-4, and they stand perfect at 3-0 in the Metro Suburban with a Tuesday trip remaining to Illiana Christian to close out league play for 2011 before heading to the Romeoville Christmas Tournament that starts Dec. 26.
And a good portion of why Glenbard South left Bensenville victorious was its defense.
"Overall, it was a good night. They scored just 2 points in the second quarter. We had defensive lapses here and there. But I'm proud of our defensive effort," Raiders coach Wade Hardtke said.
Glenbard South led 14-10 after the first quarter on 7-of-14 shooting, while Fenton was 5 of 11. The Raiders sliced the Bison (2-7, 1-2) opportunities in half in the second quarter as Fenton went just 1 of 6 and missed all four of its free-throw attempts.
That put the Raiders up 23-11 at halftime. And although Fenton was outscored just 22-19 the rest of the way, the damage had been done and Glenbard South protected a double-digit lead that never got lower than 12 during the second half.
Six-foot-six junior forward Dusko Despot led the victors with 16 points, including a 6-of-6 showing at the free-throw line. Wesley Sanders had 8 points. Joe Harks and Ryan Childs each had 9 rebounds.
Nine players scored, and Hardtke said that was crucial.
"(Dusko) could have had a lot more. But he kept working and was a big part. Obviously, they were using their zone to close him up. But we were able to spread the offense around," he said.
As for Fenton, coach Dennis Cromer will take how his team played defensively anytime.
"If you hold a team to 45 points often, you should win some games," he said. "Glenbard South is more physically imposing than we are. They have some nice athletes and are a well-coached team."
What Cromer was happy to see Friday, which hadn't happen of late, was that the Bison were getting scoring opportunities. Now the team has to learn to convert them.
"We ran our offense reasonably well. We were 12 of 33 inside and 1 of 10 from 3-point range," he said. "We're not that far away if we hit our open looks."
Colin Wallace led his team with 12 points. Jeremy Shimanek followed with 10.
The Bison are done with league play for the year and are off until the Glenbard West Tournament that starts Dec. 27.