Hoffman Estates aiming for consistency
Hoffman Estates' boys basketball team had an in and out performance last weekend.
Giving up 24 points in the second quarter took the Hawks out of a home-opening 53-45 Mid-Suburban West loss to Barrington. One night later they went inside for a combined 24 points from Colin Conway and John Bialek to give Prospect its first loss 49-41.
"Our biggest deal is we've been inconsistent and it showed," said Hoffman coach Bill Wandro. "We know we're good enough to compete with anybody but we have to show up to play every night."
The Hawks were also missing 6-foot-7 scoring leader Lance Vesper (11.3 ppg) after he sprained an ankle in practice last Thursday. Thomas Iheme, one of their top reserves, was out with a groin pull and senior Brandon Fischer missed the first two games with back trouble.
Wandro said Vesper may return next week and Iheme will try to play this weekend.
Kyo Azyumaya and the Hoffman guards combined offensive patience and defensive persistence to slow the high-scoring Knights.
"It's a learning process and we have to get some confidence," Wandro said. "Quite frankly, we didn't play very good defensively against Barrington. It seemed like everything went wrong defensively."
The Hawks hope to continue what they did right against the Knights when they visit Palatine at 7:30 p.m. today and South Elgin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Would have been a big one: Winless Elk Grove was even in the final minute and had a shot to force overtime at unbeaten Fremd last Saturday.
"It shows we have some character and there is no sense of panic and giving up here," said Elk Grove coach Anthony Furman of the 53-50 loss. "It was disappointing because we didn't finish our job so there were some mixed emotions. But the kids were energized by being able to compete."
Elk Grove, which visits Wheeling tonight, nearly had four players in double figures as Brian Battaglia and John Lorenz scored 10 points apiece and Keven Zelaya and Joey Bishoff each had 8.
It's what the Grenadiers need without senior Donny Duschinsky, who injured a knee which required arthroscopic surgery after scoring 19 points in the season opener. Furman hopes Duschinsky will be back in early January.
"It will make us stronger and more resilient when he gets back," Furman said. "We're not going to win a shootout. We need to have control and consistent play and we have to be able to bang out a game where we score in the upper 40s and 50s and keep people below that."
Huskies get nice return: Hersey senior guard Jordan Mertes didn't look like he'd missed the first four games because of a foot injury. He scored 12 points Friday against Elk Grove and 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists against St. Viator.
"He's come a long way and coming off a tough injury shows his determination and toughness," said Hersey coach Steve Messer. "He really got the rust out every day in practice - and he was playing well before he went down."
Mertes adds another piece to the puzzle Messer is trying to put together for the 3-3 Huskies, who are at Buffalo Grove at 7:30 p.m. today.
"Part of our frustration, and I wouldn't say it's with the kids yet, is it's glaringly obvious what needs to be changed and what works and what doesn't work," Messer said. "The opportunity is there for them to follow the correct path toward success with the emphasis on teamwork, patience and determination."
A disappointing loss: St. Viator will get one more shot at St. Joseph before it leaves the East Suburban Catholic Conference on Feb. 3 in Arlington Heights.
The Lions hope they'll produce a better one after losing 55-45 in Westchester on Friday.
"There was a little bit of (defensive) pressure but we just didn't play well," said Viator senior Jack Etchingham. "We know if we play the way we should play maybe the outcome would be a little different."
The Lions continue their NBA-esque schedule of seven games in two weeks with an ESCC doubleheader of a Friday visit by Marian Catholic and a Saturday trip to St. Patrick.
McCormack gets Hall pass: Conant coach Tom McCormack was chosen to be part of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2010. McCormack will be inducted April 24 at the Illinois State University Student Union.
One of the top area rivalries also gets a new twist at 7:30 p.m. today when McCormack goes up against one of his former players and staff members in first-year Schaumburg coach Matt Walsh.
The road trip is also part of a tough stretch that includes next weekend's trip to Hoffman Estates and a visit by Warren.
Tip-ins: Barrington senior guard Bryan Wegner has averaged 23 points in his last three games going into home games with unbeaten Fremd tonight and Hersey on Saturday - Jacobs, which visits Fremd at 6 p.m. Saturday, lost its first four games after going 77-9 the last three years. Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle is also part of the IBCA Hall of Fame Class of 2010 - Elk Grove's second game at the Jacobs tournament will be against newcomer Zion-Benton and Ohio State-bound Lenzelle Smith, who was injured during his team's 2-3 start - Pairings for the Wheeling and York tournaments are expected to be released today. Pontiac pairings will be determined Sunday with a first-round matchup between Schaumburg and former coach Bob Williams and Niles West a possibility - One of St. Viator coach Joe Majkowski's assistants this year is his son Mike - Palatine's visit to Glenbrook South is at 5:30 p.m. Saturday - Rock Island hosted a 50th anniversary celebration of its historic fieldhouse last Saturday.