Elgin tops Holy Trinity in tourney opener
Elgin did what it had to do with a 54-30 victory over Holy Trinity, but the internal fire associated with Maroon basketball of late was lacking on the opening night of the 37th Annual Elgin Boys Basketball Holiday Tournament, according to the Maroons themselves.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact Elgin had already defeated the Tigers 73-21 at the Buffalo Grove Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 25.
"We didn't seem ready," said senior Kory Brown, who nevertheless brought the crowd to its feet with 3 dunks on his way to an 11-point, 6 rebound performance. "We just didn't seem prepared to play as a team."
The Maroons attended a 10 a.m. shootaround and most were still in Chesbrough Field House to watch rival Larkin lose to Harlan in a contest that tipped off at 5:15 p.m., well before the Maroons tipped at 8:55 p.m.
"The day dragged, and we probably thought we were in for a pretty easy game" said senior Gerardo Mojica. "But that's no excuse. The intensity wasn't there and we had no energy."
The Maroons' overall talent advantage prevented any real damage from being done by the Tigers, and Elgin coach Mike Sitter began substituting liberally early in the game.
A bright spot for Elgin (9-1) was 6-foot-3 junior Eric Sedlack. The big redhead scored 10 points to match teammate Cortez Scott. Sedlack drained a 3-pointer in the second quarter and hauled in 5 rebounds.
"We already know what Kory and Dennis (Moore) and those guys can do, so we wanted to try some other lineups and see what some of the other players could do," Sitter said. "Some stepped up, some didn't. Sedlack played well and earned more minutes in the future."
Elgin led 12-4 after the first quarter, which was highlighted by Brown's one-handed dunk. The 6-foot-4 senior beat his man on the left wing and stormed the baseline for the emphatic 2-pointer.
The Maroons led 32-16 at halftime and outscored the Tigers 10-1 in the third quarter.
Elgin advances to face Glenbard North today at 8:15 p.m. Holy Trinity will play Romeoville at 5:15 p.m.
Elgin Tournament to remain indefinitely: First-year Elgin High School athletic director Paul Pennington Monday reiterated the school's commitment to hosting its annual boys basketball holiday tournament, now in its 37th year.
"We will be hosting the 38th Annual Elgin Tournament from Dec. 26-29 next year," said Pennington, a 1991 Elgin graduate. "It will be a 16-team tournament as it has always been. Contracts were mailed this week, and we expect to host it indefinitely.
"This tournament is a tradition at Elgin High School, and we fully plan to continue on with it."
Of the 16 teams in this year's field, Pennington said only Romeoville has opted out for 2012. The Spartans host their own post-Christmas tournament.