Crystal Lake South stays perfect in FVC
Crystal Lake South expressed some dissatisfaction when it was tied with McHenry after the first quarter.
“We knew we had to play harder and better,” Gators guard AJ Demirov said. “I feel like, in the first quarter, they were playing harder than us. In the second quarter, we were talking, ‘It’s time now to put our foot on the gas,’ and that’s what we did.”
Demirov was the chief culprit, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 13 points, as South pulled away on its way to a 66-47 Fox Valley Conference boys basketball victory Friday night.
The Gators (21-2, 12-0 FVC) have won eight consecutive games and lead the conference by four games with six to play. McHenry (17-6, 7-4) has won eight of its last 10 games. Before Friday, the two combined had one loss in January.
The first quarter was a struggle between two of the area’s best defensive teams, South with its 1-3-1 zone and McHenry, which often uses full-court pressure and its 1-2-2 ball press.
“The intensity in that first quarter-and-a-half, the whole game really, was awesome,” Gators coach Matt LePage said. “A great Friday night atmosphere. We slowed down just a little bit. Know when to go fast, know when to go slow.
“They’re so good running that ball press, they can speed you up and get you into some tough places. We didn’t do a great job, but we did a good enough job and got that double-digit lead.”
The Warriors were hurt by foul trouble as guard Marko Visnjevac and forward Caleb Jett missed most of the second quarter with three fouls each.
South opened up a 51-32 lead early in the fourth quarter before McHenry cut it back to 53-44. Demirov then started another run with his fifth 3 and the Gators pulled away.
“We (played good defense) early and then they were the most aggressive team,” Warriors coach Corky Card said. “They took the ball right at us and we struggled with it. We just need to be way more aggressive like we were in that span when we cut it to (53-44) and missed a steal and AJ hits a 3. Our kids fought to get back in.”
Freshman Carson Trivellini scored 14 points, with 10 in the second half for South, and Christian Rohde added nine points.
“It was pretty rough, especially with their environment, they were home, great crowd, we just kept our composure and kept going,” Rohde said. “We were getting more comfortable (in the second quarter) against their press and people were stepping up to pass the ball. We were rebounding very well.”
Jett and Adam Anwar each scored 12 points to lead McHenry.
“It’s tough to find shots (against that defense),” LePage said. “When they’re there, you have to take them and you have to capitalize on them. Carson tonight, AJ, those windows are tight against Corky and his ball press. You have to make them.”