One game at a time. Sure, it’s the ultimate sports cliché, but the Riverside Brookfield boys basketball team has happily employed that trite tunnel vision to the tune of a 23-2 record entering the Class 3A playoffs.
For all of the Bulldogs, but particularly senior Dan Oswald who returned last week from a wrist injury that sidelined him for two months, the postseason “one and done” scenario offers a special opportunity.
“It feels great to be back,” said Oswald, an all-conference player in the Metro Suburban Conference last year. “I didn’t lose too much while I was out and my conditioning is back. When I came back, I tried to adapt to my teammates’ style. They have done a great job and really stepped it up.”
Oswald’s injury occurred on Dec. 26 at the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic Tournament, when he hurt his wrist during overtime. Oswald scored 27 that night as the Bulldogs held on for a victory.
Now, armed with a healthy, interchangeable rotation of players, the Bulldogs’ best may be reserved for “March Madness.”
“We’re going to take it one game at a time, but we are all excited about the playoffs,” Oswald added. “We had a great season, but we’re really focused on hopefully making a deep run in the playoffs.”
RB geared up for the postseason with a pair of close wins, a 52-50 victory at St. Laurence last Friday and an 80-70 “Senior Night” home victory over Brother Rice (on Feb. 25).
Junior Sean McGonagill led RB with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists against St. Laurence, while Oswald netted a team-high 19 points to power the Bulldogs over Brother Rice. Shane Kilcoyne and Ryan Jackson each scored 14 points, while Derek Tomasek and McGonagill chipped in 13 apiece against the Crusaders.
The Bulldogs closed out their conference record (8-1) in even more impressive fashion by throttling host Fenton 89-49 (on Feb. 20). The sharp-shooting Bulldogs drained 19 three-pointers (on 28 attempts), which tied for third for most three-pointers made during one game in state history.
The RB Sectional is loaded with powerhouse teams, notably the top three seeds, North Lawndale, St. Joseph and Marshall. Top-seeded North Lawndale (24-5), who won the Public League playoffs with a 54-51 win over Hyde Park, is led by Terry Johnson, Jonathon Mills and John Taylor. No. 2 seed St. Joseph (23-3, 13-0 East Suburban Catholic Conference) secured its sixth consecutive conference title this season behind the stellar play of Louis Green and Mantas Dubauskas, while Darius Smith and Eriq Harris lead Marshall.
The host Bulldogs loom as a dangerous fourth seed in their sectional.
“We’re playing really well now,” said junior guard Billy VandeMerkt. “With Dan back, we have another scoring threat. We had an awesome year. Not a lot of teams can say they only lost two games. It’s been fun, but we want to keep it going [in the playoffs].”
RB will take on the winner of Austin vs. Montini on Tuesday, March 3 (6 p.m.) at the Glenbard South Regional.