Wegner, Barrington claw their way past Conant
Like a cat, Barrington guard Jackson Wegner sat back and waited to pounce. And when Conant’s guards attempted a short cross-court pass just over the half-court line, Wegner made his move.
He split the pair, intercepting the ball and taking it for an uncontested layup to help host Barrington regain the lead for good as the Broncos nipped Conant 46-43 in the Mid-Suburban West boys basketball game Friday.
“We were planning on getting our pressure up,” said Wegner, who finished with 8 points. “I saw out of the corner of my eye that guy looking to pass it. Once I started I couldn’t go back.”
Barrington (13-7, 5-2), which had led moments earlier by 7 points, saw that lead evaporate as Conant ran off 8 unanswered points to lead only for the second time of the game at 38-37 with 6:24 to play.
After Wegner’s steal and layup, the senior wasn’t done. On the Broncos’ next possession, Wegner posted up low and got a good back screen from John Schneider and an inlet pass from Scott Nelson as Wegner was able to get another layup to help spark the Broncos to 6 unanswered points .
“My teammates did a great job there,” Wegner said. “I saw that they had no help down by the basket and I called Scott and he delivered.”
Barrington appeared to be in control early. Led by Mark Bennett, who finished with 14 points, the Broncos went on an 11-0 run early in the second quarter to lead 26-15 with 3:42 left in the first half.
Conant chipped away, thanks in part to Barrington’s poor free-throw shooting. The Broncos hit on just 9 of 17 attempts and that allowed Conant (9-10, 4-3) to climb back into the game on two occasions.
“We work on free throws all the time,” Barrington coach Bryan Tucker said. “I just think we are having a little cold streak right here.”
While Barrington was struggling from the line, Conant’s Sean Bourke was mastering it. Bourke, who went to the line to shoot 3 free throws on three different occasions, nailed 14-of-15 free throws. Bourke, who finished with 20 points, and Tim Manczko, who added 13 points, led the charge for the Cougars.
But while poor free-throw shooting gave Barrington fits, it was turnovers that were ultimately Conant’s Achilles’ heel. The Cougars turned the ball over 21 times, including the one that turned into a steal for Wegner, that helped lead to Conant’s loss.
“We just told our kids that this might have been one of best games defensively,” Tucker said. “It was one of the best defensive performances as a team all year.”
“I thought we did a really good job of hanging in there,” Conant coach Tom McCormack said. “We took the lead late, but ultimately we couldn’t overcome our turnovers. That was the difference in the game.”