Dockendorf, Bulldogs find ways to finish, defeat Lions

Riverside Brookfield High School senior Vince Dockendorf finished Friday’s basketball game with soreness in his knee and calf but he wasn’t about to sit Saturday. The Bulldogs had yet another home game, and this one was against rival Lyons Township.

“I would have played against anyone, but especially LT. I was like, ‘I need to play,’” Dockendorf said. And once again he was at the forefront of a close and emotional win as the Bulldogs prevailed 69-66 In the annual regular-season meeting.

RBHS (14-7) swept the two meetings last season, 69-66 at LTHS and 71-56 at York’s Jack Tosh Holiday Classic during winter break. Dockendorf had seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, including two free throws with 10 seconds left for the game’s final points.

After LTHS junior Owen Carroll missed a three-pointer that probably would have forced overtime, Dockendorf knocked away the rebound and time expired. The Bulldogs now are 6-0 since a 1-3 record at the Tosh Classic and currently have first place to themselves outright after beating previous co-leader Glenbard East 59-58 and Glenbard South 65-62 Friday.

“Especially after the hard-fought win [Friday], of course it’s always nice because it’s a mid-town rivalry too,” Dockendorf said. “I knew once we played and the adrenaline [would help]. It would just hurt when I was jumped. But once we started playing, it just went away.”   

Danny Loftus (15 points, 7 rebounds), Cam Mercer (10 first-half points, 6 rebounds), Brycen Grove (9 points), Colin Cimino (5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Ben Biskupic, who each had six points on two threes), Mantas Sleinys (5 points, 5 rebounds) and Liam Enright (5 points each) also contributed for the Bulldogs.

“I think I could have done a bit better but just the sensation of beating LT in front of a great crowd, probably the best crowd we’ve had all year, that ranks pretty high,” said Loftus, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer this season. “It’s always great to beat LT, They’re a great program. You know a lot of the guys growing up, playing them. It feels pretty good. Just two good teams battling it out.”

LTHS (7-10) led 54-49 after a Carroll three with 6:49 left but the Bulldogs responded with a 15-3 run to pull ahead 64-57 with 1:57 left.

“We stuck together and made plays. We got great contributions from everybody,” RBHS coach Mike Reingruber said. “It was our best team win of the year; everybody brought something to the table, which I can’t say for all of our games this year.”

The Lions are 0-4 after an impressive 3-1 performance at the Tosh Classic in which all four of their games were decided by four to six points.

Senior Ian Polonowski had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds for LTHS. Owen Carroll (15 points, 4 rebounds), Josh Gutierrez (14 points, 5 rebounds), Bobby Vespa (10 points) also reached double figures.

The last six points of the Bulldogs’ fourth-quarter run came from reserve Grove, whom Reingruber said had his best game of the season. That included a three-pointer and free throw after being fouled for a rare four-point play.

“That’s my first time, ever, in a basketball game. I’m not going to lie,” Grove said. “[This win] means a lot. Defense and just being physical [helped us].”

LTHS still nearly rallied. Carroll hit a clutch three and driving basket to close the Lions to 66-64. After Dockendorf made one of two free throws, Gutierrez’s two-pointer cut the deficit to 67-66 with 11.2 seconds remaining.  

RBHS pulled out tight games all week. The Bulldogs (8-0 in UEC East) and Glenbard East (12-7, 7-1) alternated one-possession leads throughout. Loftus (20 points, 10 rebounds) contributed a double-double. Mercer (12 points, 7 rebounds), Dockendorf (10 points) and Cimino (8 points) each had two threes. RBHS visits Glenbard East, Jan. 30.

“That was a back-and-forth battle,” Reingruber said. “Luckily when that clock hit 0:00, we were ahead. It was a great high school basketball game.”

After the Rams hit a tough three to tie the game at 58, the Bulldogs worked the clock. Dockendorf dribbled and passed inside to Loftus, who was fouled. After Loftus made one free throw, Grove forced a jump ball that gave the ball back to RBHS.

“It was probably one of the most fun games I’ve played at the varsity level in front of a big crowd and a huge conference game. It just felt amazing,” Dockendorf said.

“I wanted to run down the clock. I was thinking to shoot but Danny cut perfectly, a great cut, wide open. I just handed it to him for the foul.”

Against Glenbard South, Dockendorf hit two free throws for a 64-61 lead with 17.3 seconds and one with 3.9 seconds after the Bulldogs nearly squandered an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead. The Raiders missed a half-court shot at the buzzer.

Loftus had 26 points and seven rebounds, followed by Mercer (15 points) and Dockendorf and Cimino (8 points each).

“What was great was we didn’t blame each other for any mistakes. We just came together, knew we could win it and just executed at the end of the game,” Dockendorf said.

Leading late against LTHS Saturday, the Bulldogs took nearly a minute off the clock before Dockendorf made a driving shot and Grove put in the rebound for the 64-57 lead.

“We learned from one day to the next,” Reingruber said. “That’s why I called a timeout to talk about that specifically and we did a great job executing.”

The Lions fell to 1-4 in West Suburban Conference Silver play after a 44-25 loss to Downers Grove North Friday. Polonowski (11 points) and Marshaun Russell (4 points, 4 rebounds) led the Lions.