Marshall ends Glenbard South's season
UIC coach Jimmy Collins was on hand Friday night to watch Alfonzo McKinnie and the Commandos take on Glenbard South for the Class 3A Marshall regional title.
McKinnie and Marshall put on a show for Collins and the home crowd at the Raiders' expense as the Commandos - runner-up in the Public League title game and ranked fifth in Class 3A - were nearly perfect from the floor in the first quarter while sprinting out to a 28-14 lead.
The Commandos increased their advantage to 45-23 at intermission, and then held the Raiders scoreless in the third quarter en route to a 66-34 victory.
McKinnie led Marshall (24-7) with 18 points - a total that included two straight slam dunks in the second quarter. However, teammate Vince Garrett got the crowd going with two slams of his own - one off an alley-oop just 30 seconds into the contest, and the other a reverse dunk.
Raiders guard Trace Wanless summed it up best as he described the experience of battling the Commandos.
"It feels like you're playing college ball," he said. "Their big guys are fast and their little guys are even faster. It's just a different type of ballgame."
A Wanless 3-pointer and a three-point play by Joe Harks pulled the Raiders to within 3 points of Marshall on two occasions in the first quarter. But the Commandos went on a 3-point binge of their own. Marquell Price gunned in two straight from beyond the arc, and Keifer Sykes added another 3 to give the Commandos a 21-9 advantage.
"It was a great experience for the kids. What can you say?" Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke asked. "They're a heck of a ballclub. They get up and down the floor.
"I don't think they missed a shot in the first quarter. I think they missed two or three in the second quarter. When they're that quick and play that well, and shoot the ball that well - especially from the perimeter - they're certainly tough to defend."
Mike Rovansek led the Raiders, who finished 16-11, with 14 points - including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half.
Seniors Rovansek, Wanless, 6-foot-9 center Dylan Rheault, Pat Childs and Jeff Tuttle played their final games in a Raiders uniform.
"It feels good to end with the guys I've played with for four years," said Wanless, the Raiders' star quarterback who'll continue his athletic career at St. Xavier. "They're a good group of guys and I enjoyed playing with them. I can only hope for the best for everyone that goes to college and everyone that doesn't. I'm looking forward to playing football, and I hope these guys (Marshall) go far in the playoffs."
"(Glenbard South) had a great football run (this year) so it kind of put us off to a slow start, basketball-wise," Hardtke added. "We struggled a little bit early, but they stayed with it. We battled through a lot of injuries and some other stuff, and 2010 started. Then we got a (good) run put together."
Glenbard South won eight straight before bowing to the Commandos.
"We were certainly playing our best basketball at the end of the season," Hardtke said, "so there's nothing more I can ask for as a coach."