Riverside Brookfield High School senior and returning starter Liam Enright has progressed to find and take more shots this basketball season.
“I just feel like I have the ability to do it a little bit more,” Enright said. “Last year I didn’t want to get on the court and get yelled at. This year I definitely feel more confident. Every shot I take, I try to do with intention.”
The Bulldogs created many shots they wanted in Friday’s early-season showdown at Glenbard East, but not consistently making three-pointers was a key factor in the 70-58 loss between last season’s Upstate Eight Conference East Division co-champions.
Cameron Mercer (15 points with 2 three-pointers), Enright (10 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists), Noah VanTholen (10 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds), Ben Biskupic and Walker Burns (8 points each) and Colin Cimino (5 rebounds) led the Bulldogs (7-3, 4-1 in UEC East).
RBHS made 21 of 55 shots (38 percent) but were 3 for 22 from three-point range (14 percent) and 0 for 11 in the second half after owning a 36-32 halftime lead.
“That’s uncharacteristic for us. We’re better than that,” RBHS coach Mike Reingruber said. “The opportunities were there. I thought we ran good offense. We’ve just got to step up and make shots. We’re going to be fine as the year goes on. We just didn’t make them [Friday].”
The Bulldogs and Lyons Township (7-2) compete at York’s 16-team Jack Tosh Holiday Classic, which starts Friday, Dec. 26. The Bulldogs open with Andrew (5-7) at 6:30 p.m. LTHS plays South Elgin (3-7) at 9 a.m. and could meet Fenwick (4-6) in Saturday’s second round.
RBHS trailed Glenbard East 50-48 entering the fourth quarter. The Rams (9-1, 5-0) opened with a three and pulled ahead 57-50 with inside and fast-break baskets.
Enright scored to cut the deficit to 57-52 with 5:02 left, but the Bulldogs never got closer. Described by Reingruber as “a gym rat,” Enright had a personal-best 19 points with 5 threes against Fenton Dec. 5.
“Motion-offense wise, (Glenbard East) was really our best game. But we did miss a good amount of shots,” Enright said. “That’s all going to clean up.”
RBHS scored the last 10 points of the first half. Glenbard East opened the third quarter with six points to lead 38-36 and ended it with a buzzer-beating rare three from Keenan House (game-high 19 points). South Dakota recruit Michael Nee (16 points) was among three more seniors in double figures.
Last season, the teams shared first in the UEC East at 11-1. The home team won both times.
“I felt like they did a better job of getting loose balls and stuff like that in the second half, all correctable stuff. We’ll be ready for them [at home Feb. 3],” Reingruber said.
RBHS beat Elmwood Park 63-26, Dec. 16, and lost to Leo 68-50, Dec. 13, at Mt. Carmel. Mercer had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven steals against Elmwood Park and 25 points with five threes against Leo. Cimino (11 points, 6 rebounds) and Hunter Twitty (9 points) also contributed against Elmwood Park.
The Lions won 49-47 at Glenbard West Friday on Grant Smith’s buzzer-beating shot to move to 3-0 in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division and lost 57-48 at Sandburg Saturday. After an LTHS timeout with 4.1 seconds left, Timmy Sloan inbounded to Smith, who drove from the top of the key to sink a falling jumper from right of the lane against two defenders.
The Hilltoppers (2-5, 1-1) played for the last shot and took timeouts with 58.7 and 20.0 seconds, but Sloan stole the inbounds pass to Josh Abushanab (23 points). Owen Carroll (12 points with 2 threes, 7 rebounds) and Smith (11 points, 6 rebounds) fueled the Lions. Sloan (5 assists, 5 rebounds), Nate Woods and Blake Ragsdale each had eight points.
The Lions’ switch to man-to-man defense helped to turn a 21-8 second-quarter deficit into a 36-30 third-quarter lead. Woods’ jumper tied the game at 47 with 2:09 left.
At Sandburg, Smith’s inside basket with 5:25 left gave LTHS a 45-42 lead but the Eagles (6-2) then scored 10 unanswered points.
Girls basketball
Senior guard and fourth-year varsity player Avery Mezan often provides the giving spirit for the Lyons Township girls basketball team with several assists as well as making and creating steals. On Monday, Mezan added eight points, including a third-quarter three-pointer, as the Lions defeated Merrillville (Ind.) 58-34 to begin the Montini Christmas Tournament.
LTHS (10-2) played Prospect (7-5) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Third at Montini last season, the area-ranked Lions continue seeking improvement.
Emma O’Brien (20 points), named by the tournament as the Lions’ Player of the Game, and Gwen Smith (17 points) reached double figures. O’Brien was coming off her best overall game this season Friday in the Lions’ 60-52 home loss to WSC Silver leader Glenbard West with 30 points and numerous steals, blocks and rebounds. Smith added 11 points and senior Anna Bigenwald had six.
The defending champion Lions now are third in the WSC Silver at 3-2 behind the Hilltoppers and Downers North (13-1, 4-1).
“My goal is keeping them on the floor without getting into foul trouble,” Hutchens said.
The RBHS girls (4-8, 3-3 in UEC East) return to the Sandburg Tournament Dec. 27, 29-30. They open playing Andrew (6-4) and Hope Academy or Plainfield East Saturday.
