As the Riverside Brookfield High School boys basketball team prepares for Senior Night Feb. 19 and the postseason, Danny Loftus and his fellow seniors already have left a mark.
When the Bulldogs rolled to a 69-48 victory at Fenton Friday, they finished 11-1 for their first season in the Upstate Eight Conference East Division and clinched a share of the title.
“I think ever since freshman year, it’s always been something we’ve been pointing at, the little conference banner we have in the gym,” Loftus said.
“Every year (RBHS coach Mike Reingruber) says it’s a big goal for us so it always means something to put our year up. For me, it means a lot because I’m a senior and we’re in a new conference. It’s a good way to set up the program for the future.”
The Bulldogs (19-9) have one of the busiest banners around. Starting with 2002, they have captured 22 conference championships in all of the past 24 seasons but two, 2017 and the abbreviated 2021 COVID-affected season.
Winning the UEC East adds to titles from 2007-24 in the Metro Suburban Conference, which was down to four teams last season, and Suburban Prairie Conference from 2002-2006.
“Obviously it’s one of our goals at the beginning of the year and to see our guys be able to reach that goal and come together the second half of the season has been a good thing,” Reingruber said.“They’re going to get their numbers on the banner in the gym and it’s going to be there forever. We know winning a conference title is no easy task and we get everybody’s best shot every single game. I’m really proud of how our guys have stepped up.”
RBHS outscored Fenton 23-11 in the third quarter to open a 45-34 lead. Leading the victory were Loftus (23 points) and Cameron Mercer (22 points with 2 threes, 5 rebounds), Vince Dockendorf (6 points on 2 threes, 5 assists) and Brycen Grove (6 points).
The Bulldogs probably will share the title with Glenbard East (19-9, 11-1), which still must win its conference finale at home Friday against Ridgewood (14-11, 5-6). RBHS won the first meeting with Glenbard East 59-58 at home Jan. 14 but the Rams took the rematch 67-59 Jan. 30 in Lombard, the Bulldogs’ only loss in their last six games.
That left the teams tied in the loss column with two games left. The Bulldogs started last week by beating West Chicago 62-33 at home Feb. 5 behind Loftus (20 points, 3 assists), Mercer (12 points), Colin Cimino (7 points), Ben Biskupic and Mantas Sleinys (6 points each) and Liam Enright (3 assists).
“After that rough one against Glenbard East, we kind of had the mentality we choose our own destiny,” Loftus said. “When we’re up, don’t take your foot of the gas and play all four quarters. It definitely was motivation.”
RBHS beat Oak Lawn 68-51 Saturday with Loftus (27 points, 6 rebounds) and Mercer (15 points with 3 threes) in double figures.
LTHS girls basketball
The Lions (28-2) achieved one big goal and hope that a rare loss will help them achieve another come the postseason as the No. 1 seed in another brutally tough Class 4A Lyons Township Sectional.
They completed an undefeated 12-0 West Suburban Conference Silver Division title by beating York 58-35 Feb. 4 with junior Emma O’Brien scoring her 1,000th career point and Glenbard West 46-41 Friday.
Then they lost at home Saturday to area-power Fremd 56-50 to snap a 14-game winning streak since losing to Benet 71-58 Dec. 27 in the semifinals of the Montini Tournament.
The Lions jumped to a 14-2 lead on Fremd (23-5) and still were ahead 37-34 entering the fourth quarter but foul trouble to standouts Nora Ezike and Emma O’Brien took its toll in the fourth quarter. Both eventually fouled out as well as starter Tess Bernson and reserve Sydney Munson.
“Losing this game is just a good learning opportunity,” LTHS coach Meghan Hutchens said. “We know that we can compete at a high level and today we had to face a little bit too much adversity with the foul calls and the count.”
Ezike still had a team-best 15 points with four rebounds, followed by Gwen Smith (14 points), Avery Mezan (14 points) and Bernson (7 points) and O’Brien (0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists).
The Lions had 26 fouls compared with 12 for the Vikings, who made 21 of 28 free throws, including 5 of their last 6 to fight off last-minute baskets by Mezan.
“Avery showed a lot of leadership and Tess did, too. We just lost our size and losing our size changes our zone and man (defenses),” Hutchens said.
“I think each player that got into foul trouble knows there’s at least one foul they could have taken back personally. Maybe to have had them on the floor longer (that) would have completely changed the game. But what this does do is gives our subs phenomenal experience in tough situations that may happen again.”Ezike (19 points, 8 rebounds, 11 deflections, 5 steals), O’Brien (17 points with 4 threes, 8 rebounds, 5 steals) and Smith (8 points, 6 rebounds) led the victory over Glenbard West.
Leading scorers against York were O’Brien (19 points on 4 threes) and Ezike and Smith (12 points each). O’Brien’s first basket in the first quarter put her past 1,000 points.
RBHS girls basketball
The Bulldogs (10-20, 7-5 in UEC East) celebrated Senior Night Friday by beating Fenton 56-31 behind another double-double from senior Alyssa Morris (14 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and seniors Tali Herrera and Isabella Perez (6 points) and Abbey Tyler (5 points) as well as Gaby Graupera (7 points, 5 rebounds) and Addie Vaia (5 points).
LTHS boys basketball
The Lions lost to York 52-49 in two overtimes Feb. 4 after previously losing to the Dukes in three overtimes 59-57 Jan. 10.
Ian Polonowski (16 points, 8 rebounds), Danny Janiszewski (10 points), Owen Carroll (7 points), Dylan Hall (6 points) and Marshaun Russell (6 rebounds) and led the Lions ( 11-14, 3-6 in West Suburban Conference Silver).
In other Silver play, the Lions lost to Glenbard West 44-41 Friday in Glen Ellyn after winning their Dec. 20 meeting 54-34. Polonowski (22 points, 5 rebounds), Janiszewski (10 points) and Josh Gutierrez (4 assists, 4 rebounds) led LTHS.
Hall scored 16 points in the 60-39 loss at DeKalb Saturday.