South Elgin knocks off Bartlett
Only time will tell, but Friday night may be one of those defining moments that winds up being the turning point of the season for the South Elgin boys basketball team.
On the road against an undefeated Bartlett team and having watched a 14-point fourth quarter lead dwindle to 2 with just under 5 minutes to play the Storm did not back down but instead stood their ground.
After a defensive stop in which Bartlett had a chance to tie the game, Matt Smith hit a clutch floater for the Storm on a drive into the lane and Tyler McClundon followed with a transition basket off a Bartlett turnover. The Storm (3-3, 1-0) went on to survive for a 52-44 win in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division opener for both teams.
"This is definitely a big confidence booster for the kids," South Elgin coach Jim Cook said. "For a little bit we got away from what got us the lead to begin with. We finally settled down and started executing again to turn it back around. It was just about sticking together and playing as a unit. We are a good team when we execute. Execution takes care of everything."
Smith added a couple free throws in the final minute to help seal the deal. The senior point guard finished with a team-high 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
"We just took care of the basketball and made good decisions at the end of the game," Smith said. "This was a huge win for us. I know it's the first time in the four seasons that I have played that we won here. So that's big. It's a great way to start the conference season."
The Storm took the lead late in the first quarter 14-12 on a Damien Young layup and never gave it up. A 12-2 run late in the third and early in the fourth gave the Storm their biggest lead at 43-29.
Bartlett (4-1, 0-1) rallied with 12 unanswered points to get to within 44-42 on a Ben Johnson basket with 4:57 left in the game. Robby Jimenez scored 8 straight points during the run, including a 3-pointer and a 3-point play. Jimenez finished with a game-high 18 points, but briefly had to go to the sideline to get his knee taped after the Hawks made their run. Jimenez returned but from there the Hawks just weren't able to sustain the momentum.
"It was too little too late," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "We needed to play with that kind of passion from the start."
The Hawks shot an abysmal 15-of-59 (25 percent) from the field, including 4-of-26 from the 3-point arc.
"We were in the bonus in the second quarter and the fourth quarter, but still kept settling for outside shots," Wolfsmith said. "We can't live and die by the 3-pointer. We are too big of a team not to be pounding the ball inside more than we did. We played right into their hands by letting them get out on the fastbreak."
Tyler Hankins added 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Storm.