Kaneland's pressure too much for Hinckley

Chaon Denlinger opened the game with a 3-pointer for the Kaneland boys basketball team.

But the Knights would not hit another field goal from beyond the arc the remainder of the game in their 59-44 victory over Hinckley-Big Rock Tuesday night in Maple Park.

“We settle (for perimeter shots) too often when we see a zone,” Kaneland coach Brian Johnson said after the Knights' misfired on their next seven 3-point attempts in the first half. “We were just letting them fly.”

Johnson had a firm message for the troops when they took a 23-19 lead into halftime.

“We talked about picking up our pressure defense and getting some easy baskets,” Johnson said.

In a game-altering stretch to begin the third quarter, the Knights (5-2) forced a series of Royals' turnovers and converted at the opposite end to take command with a 14-2 run.

Junior guard Trevor Heinle had 3 field goals in the quarter, and freshman Daniel Helm, who led all players with 15 points, spearheaded the Knights with his all-around play.

The forward scored twice in the quarter, which ended up with Kaneland leading 43-30, but was even more instrumental with 3 assists, including a no-look feed to post Tyler Callaghan.

The senior center feasted on the undersized Royals, who did not have a starter over 6-feet tall, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

“Having a size advantage helped a lot,” Callaghan said. “They made it as tough as they could, but they didn't have the height to keep up. We wanted to come out (after halftime) with a big run and open up the lead.”

Jared Madden (9 points), one of four sophomore starters for H-BR (4-4), hit a pair from the line early in the third quarter. Bernie Conley led with 10.

But the Royals would not score from the field during the decisive quarter until 2:30 remained; the Knights, meanwhile, used the resulting 14-2 run to establish a 37-21 lead.

“We have a lot of underclassmen on the team,” said H-BR coach Bill Sambrookes, who led Kaneland to the 1973 Class A state championship against Ridgewood. “It was a good education for our kids. I'm pretty proud of the way they fought.”

Sambrookes cited second-chance points as a difference-maker, and the Knights would finish the contest with 13 offensive rebounds.

H-BR would make runs late in the game, but Kaneland always had enough in reserve.

Matt Spitzzeri had all 8 of his points after the break for the Knights, and their balanced attack was further underscored by the 9 points Denlinger produced.

Heinle also had all 8 of his points after halftime.

The only negative for Kaneland was its 8-for-17 free-throw shooting performance.

“(Free-throw inaccuracy) is going to come back and bite us if we don't shore it up real soon,” said Johnson.