Cashaw, Stevenson top Streamwood

Streamwood could hold its chin up.

Stevenson's 6-foot-6 Colby Cashaw used the basketball rim to perform a chin-up.

During the third quarter of Stevenson's 60-36 win in opening-round action of Wheeling's Hardwood Classic on Tuesday, the athletic Cashaw took a bounce pass on the baseline from Chandler Simon and with an open lane to the basket slam-dunked the ball with two hands.

Cashaw's excitement got the best of him, however, as he continued on with a chin-up, drawing a technical foul.

"That was letting out some frustration from the first half," Cashaw said with a sheepish smile. "I didn't know I pulled myself up that much. I meant to get a little bit in there, but not that much. Not a technical."

Streamwood's Dalton Lundeen hit the ensuing technical foul shots to pull the Sabres within 33-27. Vince Williams then finished a layup in transition to cut Streamwood's deficit to 33-29 with 2:23 left in the third.

But Stevenson (8-1) closed the quarter with 6 straight points from Mike Fleming and 2 free throws from Matt Morrissey to lead 41-29. A 15-0 run by the Patriots in the fourth put the game out of reach.

"We fought back nicely," said Streamwood guard Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle, who posted game bests of 20 points and 10 rebounds. "The score doesn't really indicate how we played."

That Streamwood (2-9) was within striking distance late in the third was amazing considering the Sabres spotted Stevenson a 17-0 lead.

"We've started real well the last couple of games," said coach Pat Ambrose, whose Patriots won their seventh in a row. "I think we've come out ready, come out energetic, come out focused. I just think Streamwood is a team that's going to battle back."

As he has done with regularity this season, Fleming delivered when the Patriots needed a basket.

The senior guard hit a 3-pointer and then a baseline jumper after Streamwood got within 19-15 in the second quarter.

Fleming opened the second-half scoring by sinking another 3, after Streamwood trailed only 28-21 at the break.

Fleming led Stevenson with 19 points, including four 3-pointers, 5 assists and 2 steals. The freshman Brunson had 10 points and 6 assists, and also took 2 charges.

Cashaw finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

"I had a really bad start," Cashaw said. "I just wasn't really into it at first. Second half, we just took a deep breath, got back into it and started playing like we did in all those big wins that we had (in the first month of the season)."