Wauconda finally gets a win at Jacobs

It took Wauconda senior Eric Hartnett a moment to remember Tuesday the last time the Bulldogs won a game at the Jacobs Holiday Classic.

He eventually recalled it being his sophomore year.

The Bulldogs ended that streak Tuesday in their final game of Pool IV play with a 66-58 victory over St. Edward.

"It's nice to finally get something out of this tournament," Hartnett said. "Hopefully we'll get a couple more and win the consolation B bracket."

Wauconda (4-8) finished third in the pool with a 1-2 record and will play Cary-Grove at noon today in the consolation B semifinals. The Green Wave (5-7) went 0-3 in pool play and plays Woodstock at 9 a.m. today in the consolation C semifinals.

The Bulldogs got off to a fast start and took a 12-3 lead less than 4 minutes into the game. Kyle Ryan hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 8 points to spark the run.

St. Edward chipped away at the deficit and tied the game, 33-33, 15 seconds into the third quarter on a Mike Ellis 3-pointer. But the Green Wave were never able to grab the lead, though they thought they did before a DJ Byrnes free throw was waved off because of a lane violation.

"We played OK. We played from start to finish," St. Edward coach Keith Chuipek said. "They got a lot of layups in the first half. We were relying more on the outside shot."

The Bulldogs led 46-40 going into the fourth quarter, eventually leading by as many as 14. Hartnett and Matt Stonis each had 8 points in the quarter. St. Edward got as close as 6, 60-54 after a 7-0 run.

Wauconda had four players in double figures. Hartnett and Stonis each finished with 18 points. Hartnett added 7 rebounds. Tyler Gick had 13 and Ryan added 10.

"Normally we don't (have such balance)," Bulldogs coach Scott Luetschwager said. "To have four players in double figures is huge."

Byrnes led the Green Wave with 17 points off the bench, including hitting five 3-pointers. Ellis added 10 points.