Riverside Brookfield High School junior Cameron Mercer spent most of his winter break waiting for his return to playing basketball from a high ankle sprain. With an energized Mercer back the past two games, the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to three by beating rival Nazareth Academy 78-65, Saturday, and West Chicago 52-35, Friday, in Upstate Eight Conference East Division action.
“It’s good to be back playing with the team and hopefully we get more wins from here,” Mercer said. “I could be playing better, but at least the team is getting the wins. That’s all that matters.”
Mercer certainly helped RBHS (11-7, 6-0 in UEC East), which began last week by beating Ridgewood 65-51, Jan. 7. Mercer had 38 points in the next two victories to resume his scoring tandem with senior guard Danny Loftus.
Loftus (31 points, 3 assists) and Mercer (23 points with 6 threes, 6 rebounds) helped the Bulldogs outscore the Roadrunners 22-9 in second quarter to lead 40-26 at halftime.
Vince Dockendorf (8 points with 2 threes, 8 assists), Mantas Sleinys (6 points, 7 rebounds) and Brycen Grove (4 points) also contributed.
Mercer was injured landing after his driving shot along the right baseline early in the second quarter against Glenbard West at York’s Jack Tosh Tournament, Dec. 27. He then missed the last two tournament games with RBHS going 1-1 to finish 1-3 overall. He returned to practice Jan. 8 and is playing with tape and a brace protecting his ankle.
“It’s always a different feeling, something in your head you might hurt your ankle again, but you’ve just got to get past those thoughts and focus on getting the win,” Mercer said.
Loftus (16 points, 9 rebounds), Mercer (15 points with 3 threes, 7 deflections), Dockendorf (6 points on 2 threes), Liam Enright (5 points), Ben Biskupic (5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) and Sleinys (5 points, 5 rebounds) fueled Friday’s victory and another strong second quarter. RBHS outscored West Chicago 14-6 for a 26-17 halftime advantage.
Against Ridgewood, Loftus had 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field and free-throw line. Dockendorf (9 points, 5 assists), Enright (8 points, 5 assists) and Biskupic (8 points, 6 rebounds) also contributed.
The Bulldogs played Glenbard East (9-6, 6-0), Tuesday, for the UEC East lead and play host to Glenbard South at 5:30 p.m., Friday, for Pack the Place, then rival Lyons Township at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
RBHS girls basketball
Senior Isabella Perez has made up for lost court time this season. Suffering a season-ending ACL tear to her right knee as a junior in the Bulldogs’ sixth game, Perez gradually gained confidence as a starter.
“I didn’t really have that much experience on varsity so I feel like I’m still new to the team and I’m in the same boat as [the new juniors],” Perez said. “But now I feel like I’m getting the hang of it.”
Perez had 16 points, Jan. 7, as the Bulldogs (5-17, 4-5 in UEC East) defeated Ridgewood 45-32.
Alyssa Morris had a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals. Claire Evans (7 points, 12 rebounds) and Gaby Graupera (6 points, 6 rebounds) also had big outings.
After undergoing surgery, Perez was cleared to return for summer basketball.
“I feel like now I’m more eager to prove myself. I try to set standards for myself, just trying to prove myself from sophomore year on JV,” she said.
Perez made 8 of 10 shots. Known for her perimeter shooting, Perez said she and teammates had trouble at Ridgewood. Instead, she scored mostly on drives or by converting fast breaks.
“When she’s struggling [shooting], she’s aggressive, goes to the basket, which is awesome, especially with her having a major knee injury,” RBHS coach Jordan Mack said. “She’s tiny but ferocious, she goes to the basket. If she’s struggling in one thing, she goes after it somewhere else.”
In other UEC East action, the Bulldogs lost to Glenbard East 60-55, Friday, and West Chicago 55-51, Jan. 9, both games where they once again held leads.
Morris had 20 points against Glenbard East with 2 threes, six rebounds and four assists. Other contributors were Graupera (10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals), Addie Vaia (8 points, 5 steals) and Evans (8 points, 6 rebounds, 9 deflections). Graupera (19 points), Morris (11 points), Evans (9 points) and Abby Weinert (8 points) were leading scorers against West Chicago.
“We’ve just got to figure out how to finish,” Mack said.
The Bulldogs play host to Elmwood Park at 7 p.m., Friday for Pack the Place.
LTHS girls basketball
The Lions continued their quest toward 20 wins and the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title by beating Downers Grove North 43-35, Saturday; York 63-47, Friday; and Oak Park and River Forest 64-33, Jan. 7. LTHS (19-1, 6-0 in Silver) visits second-place Glenbard West (12-7, 5-1) Thursday in their first of two meetings.
Emma O’Brien (19 points, 8 rebounds), Nora Ezike (13 points, 9 rebounds), Gwen Smith (9 points), Tess Bernson (6 rebounds) led the victory over Downers North (13-6, 4-3), last year’s Silver champions.
Top players against OPRF included Ezike (17 points, 5 rebounds), O’Brien (15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), Smith (14 points, 4 steals), Harper Carroll (6 points, 7 rebounds), Sydney Munson (4 points, 4 assists), Avery Mezan (4 rebounds) and sophomore Sinclair Zieba (5 points).
LTHS boys basketball
During York’s Jack Tosh Tournament over the holidays, the Lions were impressive with a 3-1 record in four tight games. They had another thriller at York Friday but a disappointing 59-57 triple-overtime loss to the Dukes after leading throughout the fourth quarter.
Senior Ian Polonowski had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds for LTHS (7-8, 1-3 in Silver). Josh Gutierrez (9 points, 4 assists), Bobby Vespa and Timmy Sloan (6 points each) and Owen Carroll (5 points, 4 assists) also contributed.
LTHS lost to Crete-Monee 41-32 Saturday. Dylan Hall (12 points), Marshaun Russell (5 points, 7 rebounds), Sloan (5 points) and Danny Janiszewski and Carroll (5 rebounds each) led the Lions.