Glenbard East stops West Aurora streak
Glenbard East coach Scott Miller describes finals week as a "weird week," and he wasn't quite sure what to expect from Friday's game with West Aurora.
It was indeed a weird first half in that neither of the Rams' sharp-shooting guards scored a single point through two quarters. But what was not weird was that both Zach Miller and Jack Merrithey heated up in the second half and that Glenbard East won another game, this time a 66-52 defeat of the visiting Blackhawks.
It helped that Jon Hill and reserve Devin Parks each had a big first half and that the Rams pressured the Blackhawks into 14 first-half turnovers. An 11-0 start and a 17-4 lead at the end of one quarter didn't hurt much either.
"I just try to come in and bring energy off the bench," said Parks, who had 8 points in the first half while finishing with 10 points and 2 steals as Glenbard East (14-1, 6-0) wound up with five players scoring in double figures. "You know that West Aurora is always tough so we practiced hard for this game."
West Aurora, which had won five straight entering Friday's play, trailed by 11 before Mike Neil finally got it on the board with more than half of the first quarter gone. Lee Skinner, meanwhile, had three baskets in the first quarter and along with Hill and Parks, carried the squad until Zach Miller and Merrithey starting to have their shots fall in the second half the way they normally do.
"We don't usually talk about needing to knock down our shots because we know they're usually going to fall," said Skinner, who had 14 points and 9 rebounds. "When they double down and we kick it out, they'll knock them down."
Despite the tough first quarter, West Aurora managed to close the gap to 22-17 late in the half following a jumper by Richard Preston. But Parks converted a steal into a fastbreak basket and the lead was up to 7 at the half. Zach Miller and Merrithey then combined for a trio of 3s and 13 points in the third quarter as the Rams took a 47-34 lead into the final quarter.
"We weren't ready to play, were we?" Blackhawks coach Gordie Kerkman asked. "And they got enough of a lead that they shot the ball a little more relaxed in the second half, particularly 3-pointers. But their shots are gong to fall because they're great shooters."
Center Kyle Pilmer led West Aurora (6-8, 2-4) with 12 points and 2 blocked shots, while Tyrone Carey had 9 points and Neil and Juwan Starks 8 points apiece.
"It's finals week, which is always a weird week," Scott Miller said. "I was worried about how we'd come out, but I was glad to see the intensity we had."