Hoffman holds off Wheaton North
Hoffman Estates completed a Mid-Suburban League sweep of its first-round games in the 35th Annual Pepsi/Daily Herald Elgin Holiday Boys Basketball Tournament on Monday, and the Hawks did it with defense and clutch free-throw shooting.
Hoffman (6-3) joins Rolling Meadows, Fremd and Buffalo Grove in today's second round of the championship bracket. The Hawks will face Rockford Auburn, a 76-60 winner over host Elgin, at 8 p.m. today. Wheaton North (4-5) will battle Elgin at 1:30 p.m.
Jimmy Fabbrini's putback with 5:27 left in the opening quarter gave Hoffman a lead it would hold the rest of the game. But that lead was never safe, even when it reached 12 early in the fourth quarter.
"When we handle the ball, we look pretty impressive," said Hoffman coach Bill Wandro, whose team won despite 23 turnovers. "If we get the kinks out, we could be pretty good."
The Falcons equaled their three-quarter offensive output with a 22-point explosion in the fourth quarter, led by Jeff Schalk, who scored 15 of his game-high 24 points. Hoffman's defense held North to 8, 7 and 5 points in the first three quarters.
Wheaton North cut a 38-26 margin to 43-40 in less than five minutes and during that stretch Schalk scored 9 points.
"We were never able to get control of it," said Wheaton North coach Jim Nazos. "They kept us at arm's length. We got behind early, and that's something that hurt us."
Kevin Tiongson (team-high 10 points) showed his pressure performance from the foul line against Conant last Friday was no fluke by making all 6 of his fourth-quarter free throws. Joe Valadez was 4-of-6 from the line, including 2 free throws at the 1:01 mark and 2 more with 51.1 seconds left to give the Hawks a 47-40 edge.
Baskets by Schalk at the 37.5 mark and with 4.8 remaining weren't enough to catch Hoffman.
"In the past, it's been like that, where they've come back," Tiongson of a number of down-to-the-wire finishes. "In situations like that, we have to capitalize."
Four Hoffman players, Fabbrini, Valadez, Colin Conway and Brandon Fischer, each scored 7 points. Richard Finley added 9 for the Falcons.