Bogan came in with the better record, but it was Milwaukee Riverside that walked away the victors Sunday morning as they defeated the Bengals 73-57 in the MLK Dream Classic at Young. Continue reading
Getting off to a good start is essential for any team to be successful. Marshall exemplified that Sunday morning in the MLK Dream Classic at Young, cruising to a 62-5 win over Germantown, Pa.
Germantown scored the first basket of the game at the 6:27 mark of the first quarter, but was unable to get anything going for the rest of the game. Marshall went on a 32-0 run to end the first half and extended that lead to 40-2 before the Bears hit a free throw with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter.
Ebony Geddia, who hit the free throw in the third quarter, knocked in Germantown’s first field goal since the first quarter with 1:50 left in the final frame.
With a bench of just two players, many of Marshall’s starters played through the entire game. Junior Tyisha Saunders had 24 points and Yowana Posey added 16 to lead the Commandos (10-9). Geddia led Germantown with three points.
While the Bears (5-4) had trouble making shots, Marshall was causing havoc on its opponents with a 2-1-2 press. The pressure forced 41 Gemantown turnovers, including 28 in the first half. The Commandos turned thier defense into offense with 49 points scored off of turnovers.
Germantown, which in 1999 became the first school from out of state to play in this three-day event, was hindered by the fact it was missing four key players. Two starters were sidelined with torn ACL’s, one had a broken hand and another player was in the hospital battling Chron’s Disease.
Link to story: http://bit.ly/Umz7V9
Sometimes it’s the smallest guy on the court that ends up playing the hero in the biggest of situations. Continue reading
St. Patrick narrowly escaped Thornton on Sunday afternoon, pulling out a 79-73 triple-overtime thriller at the Ridgewood Shootout. Continue reading
Unlike most teams, No. 1 Young didn’t start its season two weeks ago. Instead the Dolphins kicked off their campaign Thursday showing virtually no signs of rust en route to an easy 63-17 win over visiting Crane. Continue reading
BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW
With two state championships, a runner-up and three third-place finishes since 1999-2000, success defines the Fenwick girls basketball program. Continue reading
BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW
Coming off a 14-13 season, change can be a good thing.
However, the amount of change that occurred at Elmwood Park between the end of last season and the start of this season is staggering. Nine of last year’s 11 team members, including seven members of the Class of 2012, were not on the Opening Day roster. The two players who return are seniors Elliott Perez and Pat McNulty.
Despite the lack of varsity experience, all of the 2012-13 Tigers entered the season with at least one year in the system under their belts. Seven of this year’s 10 varsity members are juniors who saw playing time on the sophomore level.
“We all have some experience, so its nothing really new to us,’’ junior Presley Garrett said. “We just have to play together and it will all work out.’’
With many already having played with each other in the past, becoming familiar with each other on the court might not be too much of an issue. But the juniors are glad they do have some returning leadership to help them through their first varsity season.
“We’ve only got two seniors coming back this year but they’ve shown us how to do things at this level,’’ said junior Hassan Basbous. “We’ve all played before, but for there to be guys that can give us some advice is always good.’’
Once again the Tigers opened their season at the Francis Parker Tournament, which features other teams in Class 3A or lower. Basbous feels the team can pick up some pointers there.
“It’s good playing against some of these teams because we can learn from our mistakes during the game and work some stuff out,’’ said Basbous. “It’s especially good because we don’t have the most varsity experience so it can help out there.’’
Garrett also has similar feelings.
“We can only grow as a team by playing games like these,’’ he said. “I know that I, for one, can work on things you can’t do in practice. Game situations are a lot different than in practice. These plays count.’’
Elmwood Park hopes its new squad will bring more victories. The juniors believe that success is on the horizon.
The team opened the season by defeating CICS-Northtown 72-53 behind Garrett’s team-high 18 points. Elmwood Park struggled against UIC Prep before pulling out a 54-52 win. Elliott Perez, who was named tournament MVP, led the squad with 18 points. In the wrap-up to the tournament, the Tigers fell to host Parker, 71-63.
Link to story: http://bit.ly/XkQYxZ
Being undefeated is one of the tougher things a team has to encounter. There’s the pressure of having to be perfect, as well as having to justify your record. Dundee-Crown justified its unbeaten record by defeating St. Patrick 49-40 Saturday night at St. Patrick. Continue reading
Elmwood Park produced some hot shooting offensively and also created numerous turnovers en route to an easy 72-53 win over Northtown in both teams season opener at the Parker Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday. Continue reading
Having home court advantage is a blessing for teams, especially in the beginning of the season. That was the case for Lyons, who defeated Downers South 43-29 Saturday afternoon, to finish their own Thanksgiving tournament undefeated. Continue reading
