The Riverside-Brookfield girls’ basketball team hasn’t actually played gracious host to opponents of its Bill Vandermerkt Thanksgiving Classic, and this year was no exception. The Bulldogs claimed their third straight tournament title by edging Morton 55-50 on Saturday.
RB had three players garner multiple double-doubles in the three-game tourney. Led by the talented McCloskey cousins, Katelyn and Maggie, RB upped its overall record to 4-0 with the win over Morton. Maggie scored her second double-double of the season with a 28-point, 10-rebound performance, while Maggie, who clinched the victory with two clutch free throws in the closing seconds, chipped in 13 points to go along with her eight assists. Erin Pfieffer also grabbed a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds for RB.
The Bulldogs downed Shepard 54-46 in the second round on Friday. Maggie led the team with 21 points and nine assists. Pfieffer and Katelyn again earned double-doubles. They both had 13 rebounds apiece to go along with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
The Bulldogs kicked off the tournament by clobbering Gordon Tech 76-49 last week. Maggie tallied 26 points and 15 assists, and Pfieffer 23 points and 15 rebounds. Colleen Hartman added four points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs and Kristen Zeleny pocketed four steals.
RB opened Suburban Prairie (East) Conference play at Lemont last night (after deadline). The Bulldogs travel to conference rival Westmont on Saturday (2:30 p.m.).
Topsy-turvy time for RB boys
It was an up and down holiday for the RB boys’ basketball team last week.
The Bulldogs (1-2) had to spend Thanksgiving day brooding over a disappointing 74-68 overtime loss to Hinsdale South. But the Bulldogs took out their frustration on John Hope High School on Friday with a resounding 73-47 victory over the Chicago Public League team.
The good feeling didn’t last long, as RB fell to Bremen 64-45 on Saturday.
Jon Baldermann led RB in the victory over Hope with 16 points and nine rebounds. Mark Gorman added 13 points, four rebounds and four steals. RB also received additional support from Seamus Brennan and Steve Wilhelm. Brennan scored 12 points, and Wilhelm 11, including three three-pointers.
Matt Sandrik, who had seven assists and eight rebounds in the win over Hope, made a three-pointer at the buzzer to send his team into overtime against Hinsdale South. Sophomore Chris Parrish led the Bulldogs with 19 points in that loss. Sandrik added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
LT wins its own tourney
Grant Porter netted 20 points to lead his team to a 72-43 thumping of Lincoln-Way Central and the Lyons Township tournament title on Saturday.
Mark Skorvanek added 17 points for the Lions (3-0), while Mike Scavuzzo chipped in 15 points.
