Weber sticks with it as Barrington tops Mundelein
It's not how you start but rather how you finish that can make the difference between victory and defeat.
That's part of the motivation Barrington junior guard Ben Weber had in mind with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.
“I knew what was at stake,” said Weber, who finished with 18 points to lead all scorers. “I just had to get rid of the negative thoughts and come back and make a good play.”
After being fouled on a three-point attempt and missing all three ensuing free throws, Weber collected back-to-back steals that he converted into layups. That helped stave off a Mundelein charge and ultimately lead to a 68-55 victory in the Mundelein Thanksgiving tournament Friday night.
The Broncos improved to 3-1 in the tourney and will play Chicago Uplift (4-0) at 3 p.m. today. Uplift beat Lake Forest Academy (3-1), which faces Lakes (1-3) at 4:30 p.m.
Barrington used its height advantage over the Mustangs to stake to a 21-13 lead after the first quarter. Six-foot, six-inch junior center Will Reinhard was a beast inside, scoring 9 of his 17 points in the opening act when the Broncos jumped ahead 21-13.
“Fortunately, we got ahead and stayed ahead because they are hard to defend with their up-tempo style,” Broncos coach Bryan Tucker said of the Mustangs. “We definitely used our size. We do need to do a better job of getting back in transition.”
And because of the size advantage, Barrington was able to outrebound Mundelein 41-22 for the game. Twenty-two of those were on the offensive end, including 10 in the first quarter. For the game, senior forward Chris Lester grabbed 15, while Reinhard snared nine.
Mundelein (0-4) hung around, though, and wouldn't go away.
After trailing by as many as 13 points with just more than four minutes left in the third quarter, the Mustangs went on a 9-2 spree that was capped by a 3-pointer from freshman guard Tommy Marcotte to draw within 45-39 with 2:25 left. But that was as close as the hosts would get the rest of the way.
“We just weren't prepared enough,” Mustangs coach Corey Knigge said. “We played hard after the first quarter. We hit these lulls where we feel sorry for ourselves. We need to get rid of that mindset when things start going bad for us.”
Barrington opened the fourth quarter with a 10-3 run to go ahead 60-45 and some much needed distance with 3:02 left. The spurt, which featured the two Weber conversions, was capped off by a layup from senior guard Jake Orr. Lester, who finished with 12 points, had started the run with a jumper.
Broncos 6-9 junior Rapolas Ivanauskas missed the contest due to illness but should be back in the lineup today against Uplift.
For Mundelein, Marcotte finished with 13 points, while senior forward Kevin Marcotte led the way with 15. Senior guard Tyler Olson chipped in 10 for the Mustangs, who play Warren at 6 p.m. today in the tournament finale.