Barrington routs Crystal Lake South
The Hinkle Holiday Classic at Jacobs has been the perfect medicine for whatever was ailing the Barrington boys basketball team.
The Broncos had lost four games in a row coming into the tournament after a 5-1 start, but have completely turned their fortunes around with a pair of wins. The latest came on Monday with a 71-41 blowout of Crystal Lake South. The victory all but assures Barrington first place in pool play and a spot in the championship bracket of the tournament.
Will Reinhard posted a double-double with a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead Barrington. Ben Weber provided a big spark off the bench with 19 points.
"When we lost our fourth game in a row that was a real kick in the teeth and a wake-up call," Barrington coach Bryan Tucker said. "We came into this tournament feeling this could be a fresh start for us where we could wipe the slate clean."
The Broncos started slowly and trailed 10-8 after one quarter. The game was tied at 13-13 early in the second quarter when Barrington broke it open with a 19-2 run to go up 32-15. The defense keyed the surge as the Broncos forced 7 turnovers during the run.
"I was happy with the way the defense played," Tucker said. "We were able to turn a lot of those turnovers into points."
Weber provided the offensive spark with 12 points in the second quarter, including two 3-pointers.
"He can definitely score for us," Tucker said. "He did a good job of moving off the ball to get open and then attacking off the dribble."
Tucker, who is usually a starter, fit right in to his new role.
"It's a little different, but I just wanted to come in and provide some energy," Weber said. "We really got into our defense and stated running the floor. This tournament has been a great chance to come together as a team and build some camaraderie."
Barrington (7-5) continued to pull away in the second half and led by as many as 35 points. The Broncos dominated in all facets, outrebounding the Gators 44-16 and shooting 30-of-42 (71 percent) from the field from the first quarter on.
The Gators (6-4), who were actually playing well coming into the game having won their first game in the tournament, shot just 15-of-50 from the field. Zach Geske had 16 points to lead South.
"It was a hard game to watch and a hard game to coach," South coach Matt LePage said. "The bottom line is the turnovers did us in. Barrington did a great job of taking away our first option and we just kept on trying to force it. It's just one of those games you try to put behind you and move on to the next one."