In short order, Libertyville stands tall against Hersey
With his Libertyville boys basketball team short-handed, coach Brent Mork chose short.
Well, not that 6-foot-5 guard Drew Peterson and his other four starting teammates Saturday night are height challenged.
Still, Mork went with a five-guard starting lineup for the first time this season, and Libertyville had a big night. The sophomore Peterson scored a season-high 27 points and dished out 6 assists, as the Wildcats defeated visiting Hersey 73-61 in a nonconference game.
Libertyville (5-2) never trailed and led by as many as 22 points in the second half.
"I think that (smaller lineup) helped them," Hersey coach Steve Messer said of the Wildcats. "Their guards are really long. That's why they can get away with it."
Libertyville's 6-3 Jabari Quigley grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 7 points, while fellow starter Harrison Bach (6-1) added 11 points. Guard Brandon Rule, playing just his third game after an extended football season, added a season-high 12 points coming off the bench for the Wildcats.
"We play as a team," Peterson said. "That's why we're 5-2 right now."
Libertyville played without 6-6 Ben Kimpler, who was on a visit to Miami (Ohio), where he will play football next year. Christian Nastoff, a 6-3 forward who's been starting, was home sick. Danny Waehner, a 6-6 senior, played sparingly off the bench due to an ankle injury.
"We had to go small ball and play five guards, and they did a really nice job," Mork said of his players. "The guys moved the ball real well."
Peterson has been a huge addition to the Wildcats in his first varsity season. Against Hersey (4-4), he was effective driving to the basket and drawing contact in addition to showing off a midrange jump shot. He sank 8 of 11 shots from the floor and made all 11 of his free throws.
"My teammates got me open," Peterson said. "I was coming off screens, I was able to get to the lane, and my shot was on. We shoot a lot of free throws in practice. I love getting to the line. I like driving and getting fouled."
Peterson also grabbed 4 rebounds, all on the offensive end, and blocked a pair of shots.
"It's not just scoring, either," Mork said. "He does a great job passing. He's got tremendous vision and shares the ball real well. He's getting better and better every week."
Peterson scored half of Libertyville's points in the opening quarter, as the Wildcats went up 16-9. The lead was 40-27 at halftime, as Peterson had 15 points.
Hersey was led by starting forward Michael Lelito and Kevin Starr, who came off the bench, with 12 points apiece. Lelito and Mark Milligan (8 points) each sank two 3-pointers for the Huskies. Joseph Coffaro chipped in 9 points.
"They played faster than us," Messer said of the Wildcats. "I thought they ran their offense better than we ran ours. They did a nice job of back-cutting to the basket on us - and rebounding, too."