Glenbard West changes the subject
Glenbard West’s boys basketball team played nearly the exact same game two days in a row.
The Hilltoppers enjoyed the rerun much better.
They shot the lights out in Saturday’s West Suburban Silver game at Downers Grove North and dominated in a 67-54 victory over the Trojans.
Coming off a 27-point home loss to York the night before, Glenbard West (15-6, 6-4) bounced back in a big way by knocking down 59 percent of its shots through three quarters, including eight 3-pointers. For the game the Hilltoppers made 15 of 19 free throws, led by Michael Mache’s 9-of-10 shooting.
“It was pretty quick going from a Friday night game to a 4:30 Saturday game and having JV this morning,” said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. “It’s been a pretty full weekend of basketball, but you don’t want to dwell on that York game. It’s nice to be able to put that behind us.”
The Hilltoppers immediately began to put Friday’s loss to rest by reversing the trends. They sliced their turnovers in half and shot immensely better. A close game soon spread to a double-digit Glenbard West advantage when Kevin Loftus came off the bench and knocked down four 3-pointers.
A flurry of Mache free throws and a bucket by Vernon Harris pushed the advantage to 46-31 midway through the third quarter.
“We really wanted to come back and have a better game after last night,” Loftus said. “We need to get back on track for the playoffs, and I think we did that.”
Glenbard West is 5-6 since bursting to a 10-0 start to the season, but the Hilltoppers have a lot to play for in the postseason. The sixth seed in the Class 4A Schaumburg sectional, Glenbard West plays host to a regional.
If they play like they did Saturday, the Hilltoppers will be a tough team to beat at home. Mache led them with 15 points, while Pat Mazza had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 7 blocks.
Rob Mahlke scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter for Downers North (4-19, 0-11). Davis Skirgaila added his 12 points on four 3-pointers.
“We were making shots tonight, which was a lot different than last night,” Loftus said. “We’ve got a good group of guys so it’s easy to come back.”