Charlie Morrissey made 7-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc in a sizzling first half performance to carry the Riverside-Brookfield boys basketball team to a 75-61 nonconference victory over Providence last week. The 6-foot-4 senior, who finished with a team-high 25 points, also had three assists and three steals.
“Charlie Morrissey had an amazing first half,” RB coach Tom McCloskey said. “I haven’t seen a [shooting] performance like that in a long time. He was absolutely on fire.”
Morrissey, a standout defensive third baseman for the RB baseball team as well, finished third in the IHSA three-point contest in Peoria last year.
Morrissey’s incredible marksmanship coupled with clutch scoring from Ryan Jackson (24 points) down the stretch provided more than enough punch to hold off the feisty Celtics.
Six-foot-9 RB center Alex Dziagwa (7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks) patrolled the paint effectively, while guard Nate Hanley (7 points, 3 assists) and Damonta Henry (6 points) also played well. Six-foot-1 senior forward Watoris Slater turned in another solid all-around floor game with six points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists against Providence.
“Watoris has done a great job for us on the boards and defensively,” McCloskey said. “We need him to have a big year because he will be guarding the best offensive player on most teams we face.”
RB (5-1, 1-0 Metro Suburban Conference) posted several impressive stats against Providence. The Bulldogs shot 26-for-52 (50 percent from the field), including 11-of-26 from the three-point line. The team also snagged 25 rebounds, 13 steals and almost claimed a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, finishing with 17 assists and nine turnovers for the game.
“We have a lot of guys who didn’t play much [on the varsity last year],” McCloskey said. “We’re a work in progress with our rotation, but I like our players’ attitude and work ethic.”
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Bulldogs visit Timothy Christian on Friday for a 7 p.m. tip off. The Trojans, who finished 24-7 last season, are led by 6-foot-1 senior guard Mark Penczak and 6-foot-3 forward Mike Pizzello.
“Timothy Christian gave us our only conference loss last season,” McCloskey said. “Our whole focus is on the [upcoming] game at their place.”
After the Timothy Christian conference tilt, the Bulldogs will have the luxury of 10 practice days before competing in the Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament at York (Monday, Dec. 27 thru Thursday, Dec. 30). Lyons Township defeated RB 65-47 in the tournament’s championship game last year.
“The Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament always has a bunch of excellent teams,” McCloskey said. “It will be a good test for our team playing in one of the premier tournaments in the area.”
