ICCP routs Fenton

IC Catholic Prep was not happy with the effort given in a loss to Fenton back on Dec. 15 and vowed to change things up in the second meeting.

And on Tuesday, the Knights did just that.

Jumping out to a a 24-4 advantage after the first eight minutes, the home team cruised to a 70-32 win in Elmhurst.

"Losing that game was horrible. We knew we could play a lot better," said senior guard Angel Ramirez, who had 14 points and shared game-high scoring honors with Troy Burrows. "When you lose a game like that it's really disappointing and we knew we had to change something in this game."

Ramirez scored 9 of his team's first 15 points while Will Lyles added 6 points and Austin Reed totaled 5 in the opening quarter.

"We watched film (of the first game against Fenton) and we didn't give a good effort the last time," IC Catholic coach T.J. Tyrrell said. "Our energy was low. Tonight, our intensity was much improved and it all started on the defensive end. We played like that on Friday against Riverside-Brookfield and it was nice to see it happen again."

Burrows poured in 10 points in the second quarter, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers as the margin increased to 50-12 by halftime. Lyles also had a breakaway dunk.

"We were just aggressive coming out," Ramirez said. "We wanted to be as aggressive as possible and we were attacking the rim."

Lyles finished with 8 points and 3 blocked shots for the Knights (12-11), Reed and Galvin Gescey had 7 points apiece and Jordan Rowell contributed 6 points and 6 rebounds.

"Especially against a team you lost to, to play a half like that, it was fun to coach and watch," Tyrrell said. "Everyone was sharing the ball and making the extra pass."

And for a team that has been up-and-down all winter, maybe IC Catholic is turning the corner as the Class 2A playoffs creep closer.

"It's a good time to start playing well," Tyrrell said. "It's been such an up-and-down year for us, we've had highs and we've had some real lows. We are looking for more consistency out of the guys so this was exciting to see."

Fenton (7-14) outscored IC Catholic 16-7 in the fourth quarter, receiving 9 points from Tyler Santagata. He checked into double figured with 12.