Glenbard South rallies after early deficit

Down 9-0 just more than two minutes into the game, Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke called a timeout and spiritedly challenged his team to wake up from an early slumber.

The message was well received, as Glenbard South turned up the pressure en route to a 54-38 Metro Suburban Conference victory Friday night over Elmwood Park.

Before the Raiders could blink, Elmwood Park (10-9, 2-6) blitzkrieged the Glenbard South defense with 3-pointers on its first three possessions.

"Coach challenged us during that first timeout to play a lot harder otherwise he was going to take us out," Glenbard South guard Matt Jeske said. "We met the challenge and were able to get a lot of stops in a row and that brought us back in the game."

Glenbard South (10-9, 6-3) indeed met the challenge as the Raiders went on an 11-0 run to take the lead 11-9 before an Elmwood Park basket late in the opening quarter tied things up at 11-11 after the opening period.

"We knew they could shoot the ball, so we needed a good start, and we did exactly what we didn't want to do," Hardtke said. "Fortunately, after the timeout we were able to settle in and do what we wanted to do."

Following the timeout, the Raiders stifled Elmwood Park to the tune of a mere 8 points over the final 13-plus minutes of the first half.

Not only did the Raiders assert themselves defensively, but the offense began to click as well. Leading the way for Glenbard South as usual was 6-foot-6 forward Dusko Despot. Despot and the Raiders used their height advantage to control the game and took a 29-17 lead into halftime.

"Once we settled down, we started to work the ball inside and use our size and we got up on them," Despot said. "In the zone I like to stay on the block, then flash out and post up, and my teammates found me."

Despot led the way for the Raiders, tallying a game-high 17 points, along with 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.

The Raiders' size advantage helped them control the glass, which led to opportunities on offense.

"We've been sharing the ball a lot better lately, and we're getting better looks," Jeske said. "Everyone is moving and cutting, so we've played better and our chemistry is building."

Elmwood Park was led by forward Julian Molina with 14 points and 8 rebounds, but Elmwood Park never had a lead after Glenbard South took a 13-11 advantage early in the second quarter.

"Our defense was OK tonight, but we're not that bad of a shooting team," Elmwood Park coach Mike Wasielewski said. "We're shooting upwards of 40 percent from 3 this year, and we showed it at the start, then we went ice cold. We don't have their size or depth, but I feel we could've played with them tonight."

The Raiders' defensive effort and depth helped them pull away, as eight Raiders hit the score sheet, which helped them lead by double digits the entire second half.

Jeske finished with 6 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, while forward Carl Lane chipped in with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks and guard Jon Berrospi had 10 points and 5 rebounds.

"We're a lot deeper this year and we have a lot of seniors, and we have 10 guys ready to go on any given night," Despot said.

Hardtke echoed Despot's sentiments.

"We were able to use our depth and wear them down a little bit because a lot of guys stepped up and gave us good minutes," Hardtke said.