Bogumil, Libertyville wrap up with loss at Notre Dame
During the final stages of Libertyville's regional semifinal against host Notre Dame on Tuesday night, Scott Bogumil paced the sideline and kept looking at the scoreboard, knowing that it was going to be his final time coaching the Wildcats.
And then it was over.
No. 13 Libertyville lost 67-54 to fourth-seeded Notre Dame in Niles, earning the Dons a berth in Friday night's Class 4A regional final.
"It's like a roller coaster that just stopped and they asked you to get off," Bogumil said. "It's like, 'Do we have another ride?' "
Bogumil's 11th season ended with the Wildcats finishing 15-13. He concludes his run at LHS with a 139-155 record. Counting his years at Gordon Tech, his overall career mark was 267-225.
"It's been a nice run at Libertyville," said Bogumil, who announced his resignation last month. "It's time to do something else. I had a great run at Gordon Tech. It was hard to leave there and it's hard to leave this. It's time to look at a new challenge, and I'm not sure where that will be.
"I really didn't know where Libertyville was, at first," he added. "I was Chicago kid, a Catholic school guy all my life and working in the Catholic League was my dream. I got a great opportunity (at Libertyville) and it helped my family. I wish I could have gotten the guys downstate like I did when I was at Gordon Tech."
Libertyville got off to a good start against Notre Dame, as the Wildcats led 5-2 after Joe Borcia hit a short jump shot. Borcia finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in his final game as a Wildcat.
Notre Dame (24-4) got its game rolling, as Joe Mooney scored 7 of his 18 points during a 16-7 stretch that had the Dons up 18-12 after the opening quarter.
Jake Mansfield kept Libertyville in the game by dropping in a pair of 3-pointers. His 12 points came on four 3s.
The Wildcats trailed 29-26 at the break.
"Knowing it's potentially the last time to put on a Libertyville uniform, you have to go out and give 100 percent," said Mansfield, a senior. "The first few (3-pointers) that I hit were coming in the flow of the offense. Later in the game I had to get shots up faster. When you rush the shots, then you're less likely to make them."
Mansfield hit a 3 early in the third quarter to pull Libertyville within 31-29 with 5:50 left. But Notre Dame took advantage of Libertyville missed shots and turnovers. The Dons went on a 13-0 run that extended their margin to 44-29 with just under a minute in the third.
"We had three good looks that we didn't finish on that (Notre Dame) capitalized on," Bogumil said. "That's why you have to give them credit as a fourth seed. Their kids do a lot with their roles. We just had to make a couple of buckets because there was a big momentum swing."
The Wildcats closed the third quarter with five straight points. Borcia hit two free throws and Jabari Quigley hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Libertyville trailed 44-34 entering the final quarter, but couldn't get any closer.
"It was a close game all the way through," Notre Dame coach Jim Les said. "Every time we made a run, Libertyville countered with a run of their own. I thought we had them on the ropes. I have to give them credit. They did a good job."
Conor Peterson added 12 points for the Wildcats.
Anthony Becar led the Dons with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Anthony D'Avanzo chipped in 14 points and 4 blocked shots.