Raiders widen gap over Geneva
Wanting and needing something may be different, but Glenbard South satisfied both cravings Friday night.
The Raiders' 48-40 victory over visiting Geneva not only avenged an overtime loss from earlier in the season, it also solidified their first-place standing atop the Western Sun Conference boys basketball standings.
Combined with DeKalb's win over Kaneland, Glenbard South (14-3, 9-1) now has a 1.5-game lead on the Barbs and a 2.5-game lead on Geneva (15-4, 6-3).
"This is the one we wanted more than any game this season," said Raiders leading scorer Jordan Harks, who played sparingly in the first meeting due to foul trouble. "We know we could have beaten them last time, and we knew we could get them this time."
Unbeaten in five home games this season, Glenbard South immediately took steps to defend its Glen Ellyn court by jumping out to a 21-8 second-quarter lead. Harks scored 10 of his 14 points in the half while Trace Wanless and Ralondo Shumate combined for a trio of 3-pointers.
By midway through the fourth quarter, however, Geneva pulled within 36-34 on Jeremy D'Amico's 3-pointer. After being held to 2 first-half points, D'Amico wound up with a game-high 19 - 14 points fewer than his total in Geneva's 58-48 win over the Raiders on Dec. 5.
Glenbard South responded with an 8-0 burst sparked by Louis Erkins' putback and Sam Mitchell's layup off Shumate's steal and assist.
The Vikings have lost three of their last four games, but more importantly they've lost two of their last three in the Western Sun.
"We've talked to our kids all week about this game," said Geneva coach Phil Ralston. "We said we wanted to be in control of our destiny, and now it's completely out of our hands. We can only control what we've got left on the schedule, and then we've got to hope that others help us out."
Shumate, who scored 10 points, made 4 of 6 fourth-quarter free throws to seal the win for the Raiders, who have notched all five of their home wins in the Western Sun.
"With (Geneva) it does give us a little bit more of a cushion, but we've got DeKalb right behind us," said Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke. "We've got some tough games coming up, and we've been talking about taking it one step at a time."