Raiders' Shumate drains Kaneland's hopes
Ralondo Shumate is fast and he can really dribble a basketball, so Glenbard South wanted the ball in his hands down the stretch Friday night.
Additionally, he just so happens to me a great free-throw shooter. So when visiting Kaneland (8-7, 2-5) was forced to foul late in this tight Western Sun Conference contest in Glen Ellyn, Shumate made things difficult on the Knights. First, the 5-foot-6 guard darted around the floor with the ball while eating up precious seconds, then he proceeded to nail 4 straight free throws to help the Raiders hold off Kaneland 54-49 to stay atop the league standings.
"I was trying to get them to foul me eventually because I'm pretty confident when it comes to shooting free throws," said Shumate, who finished 6 for 6 from the line while scoring 11 points. "We work on free throws all the time."
It took a perfect 6 for 6 from the line as a team in the fourth quarter to enable Glenbard South (12-3, 7-1) to fend off an inspired Knights squad that had trailed 46-35 after three quarters before closing to within three with 2:31 still left to play.
Kaneland was burned by Raiders star Jordan Harks for 16 points in the first half, but a variety of defenses managed to slow Harks in the second half. But just when Harks was corralled somewhat, his teammates stepped up big.
Louis Erkins hit a 3 in the third quarter and scored 7 of his 13 points in the second half, while Shumate added a long-range score in the quarter and added 3 steals on the night. Then there was Matt Kuzniar, who after not attempting a shot in the first half, contributed 2- and 3-point baskets in the third quarter and hustled his way to 3 key offensive boards in the second half.
"The last two games pretty much every one of the players has scored for us," said Harks, referring to last weekend's two league wins. "We're definitely a lot better team now with our confidence up. We're playing real good team basketball."
Even so, the Knights would not go away. Five players connected on 3-pointers and 6-9 center Dave Dudsinski was his usual force down low, finishing with a team-high 15 points, including one dunk and 7-for-8 foul shooting. The Kaneland center split a pair of free throws to get his team within 48-45 with 2:31 left, then he made good on two foul shots to keep the deficit at three with just more than 10 seconds remaining.
"We played a good team on their floor and we took them to the wire," Knights coach Dennis Hansen said. "I was proud with the way we played. They've got a bunch of (talented) of kids, but Harks is the main guy. Plus their point guard is very good."