Saxons, Huskies meet with downstate success

PONTIAC - Tradition suggests it is never easy to play the hosts of the venerable Pontiac Holiday Tournament on the opening night.

Then again, the Schuaumburg boys basketball team made its task considerably easier by scoring the first 16 points of the game Monday night.

The Saxons maintained their early surge for the remainder of the game and cruised into the quarterfinals with a deceptively decisive 59-46 victory. Schaumburg coach Bob Williams employed his second and third units exclusively in the fourth quarter, and the Saxons' 4-point output in the period merely made the final more palatable for the Indians.

"We don't want any spectators on our team," Williams said.

Schaumburg increased its season-opening winning streak to 11 games, believed to be the best in program history, and will play at 7:30 p.m. today against Peoria Manual (9-3), a 61-47 winner over Oak Park-River Forest.

The two main guns for Schaumburg-senior guards Cully Payne and Justin Swiercz-delivered early and often. Payne scored a game-high 19 points in less than a half of total action; the southpaw hit two 3-pointers in the early unanswered blitz that Swiercz culminated with an inside score with 3:39 to play in the first quarter.

"We knew this was going to be a big game for them," said Swiercz, who finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. "To be undefeated is a big accomplishment, considering there's only a couple of teams in the state who are undefeated."

"(Swiercz is) definitely one of our keys," Williams said.

Despite the Saxons' early dominance, Pontiac (5-4) responded with a burst of its own. The Indians scored the final 8 points of the quarter to trail 18-12 entering the second, and Pontiac extended the run to 19-6 to come within 24-21.

But Payne drained the last of his three 3s on the ensuing possession, and the Saxons were back in familiar territory.

Swiercz and Josh Spandiary ended the Saxons' first-half scoring binge, which ended with a 36-23 lead. Payne then scored in transition and off a steal in the opening minute of the third quarter to conclude his game-high night. The Alabama-bound guard played a mere 13 minutes and 12 seconds.

"Payne is a good player," said Pontiac coach Jake Krause. "When he was on the court, (Schaumburg) was the best team out there. We were able to make runs when he wasn't on the floor. Their defense really dictated our offense. They are very fundamentally sound."

Swiercz ended his night by providing the Saxons' largest second-half lead with 3:19 to play in the third. Spandiary finished with 8 points, and fellow starter Declan Geraghty added 6. Joe Kennedy had 12 points to lead Pontiac.

at Pekin

Hersey 50, Morton 46: The Huskies (5-5) put together a fast finish in regulation, outscoring downstate Morton 13-7 in the fourth quarter to force overtime and then prevailing in overtime with a 12-8 scoring edge in the 44th annual Pekin Holiday Tournament.

Kyle Miklasz and Kyle Mengarelli shared game-high scoring honors with 15 points apiece for Hersey and Demitriy Velikov added 11 points.

Hersey, which plays Freeport at 12:45 p.m. today, outrebounded Morton 22-15 and limited the Potters to 1-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. Making 3s for Hersey were Miklasz (3), Mengarelli (2) and Velikov (1).

At Lemont

Sandburg 67, Leyden 44: Alex Regalado scored a game-high 23 points for Leyden (4-6) in the large school third place game. The Eagles play Walther Lutheran at noon today.