St. Joseph’s Chargers traveled to Lisle Friday night looking to guard against an East Suburban Catholic upset by Benet Academy.
The Chargers (8-5, 5-0) did just that, hitting eight of 12 free throws in the final 1 minute 17 seconds for a 61-52 victory.
Aaron McIntosh led St. Joseph with 20 points, hitting on five three-point field goals, while Rubin Conway added 16. Benet (6-8, 1-4), led by Alex Parker’s 14 points, hit just seven of 24 second-half shots.
“It was a good game for us,” said St. Joseph coach Gene Pingatore. “It will help us learn to take care of a lead at the end, and you need to get into situations like that to become a good team.”
Elgin 57, Larkin 54 (OT): Dusty Harrington’s three-pointer with :02 left in the Upstate Eight contest lifted Elgin.
Conant 66, Prospect 46: Conant (12-4, 3-1) won the Mid-Suburban South contest as Jeff Bergmann netted 18 points and Mike Roberts 11. Prospect (8-8, 1-3) was led by Tim Oas’ 13 points, 10 in the first half. Conant forced nine first-quarter turnovers and never trailed. Its biggest lead, 23, came with 3:02 to play.
“We forced 25 turnovers; that’s our goal for every game,” said Conant coach Tom McCormack. “We started aggressively, both on offense and defense.”
Libertyville 62, Lake Forest 51: Libertyville (10-5, 4-2) won the North Suburban contest as J.R. Jurecko scored 18 points and Lukas McKnight hit eight of nine free throws en route to 17 points. Libertyville opened up a two-point fourth-quarter lead with an 8-2 run and hit 11 of 13 fourth-quarter free throws. Lake Forest (11-4, 3-3), led by Ed Cage’s season-high 26 points, went 2 for 16 from three-point range.
“We felt we could play with them,” said Libertyville coach Max Sanders. “We were a little impatient early, but I thought Jurecko rose to the occasion. Everybody contributed tonight.”
Lake Zurich 73, Dundee-Crown 44: Jim Roberts notched 19 points to spark Lake Zurich in the Fox Valley.
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St. Charles 76, Streamwood 56: Shaun Catey tossed in 15 points, Casey Dodson added 14 and Lynwood Schambach chipped in 10 as St. Charles (11-3, 5-2) truimphed in the Upstate Eight.
The Saints led by 18 at the half, thanks in large part to 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range in the first 16 minutes.
Mark Babinski’s 23 points led Streamwood.
Fremd 94, Barrington 62: Paul Tharp scored 26, but teammate John Bendetti did him three points better as Fremd rolled in the Mid-Suburban North. Eddie Hebert added 12, while Pat Mohr led Barrington with 23.
St. Viator 70, Joliet Catholic 58: Zac Funk poured in 21 points and Mike Hare (15) and Brad O’Sullivan combined to score 29 as St. Viator held Joliet Catholic to 10 first-half points and triumphed in the East Suburban Catholic.
Hoffman Estates 65, Elk Grove 36: Mark Ganek’s 18 points made up the majority of the offense, and Hoffman’s defense limited Elk Grove to six first-quarter points in the Mid-Suburban South.
Crystal Lake Central 72, Jacobs 70: Jeff Potts poured in 10 of his 40 points in overtime and Mike Archambeau added 17 as Central eked out a Fox Valley victory.
Stevenson 76, Mundelein 63: Dan Brown tossed in 21 points to spark Stevenson in the North Suburban.
St. Rita 60, Loyola 50: St. Rita (8-9, 3-3) won in the Catholic League behind Brandon Hawkins’ 15 points and Ryan Keane’s 12. Brian Johnson led all scorers with 21 for Loyola (4-9, 2-3).
Zion-Benton 59, Antioch 48: Zion-Benton (12-5, 4-2) won the North Suburban contest as Doug Rettig and Manasseh Stackhouse each scored 15 points.
Wheeling 54, Buffalo Grove 46: Wheeling led 15-6 after one quarter in its Mid-Suburban North victory. Jason Ball scored 14 and Paul Wallace added 13 for the Wildcats. Buffalo Grove (2-12, 1-3) was led by Jason’s Siok’s 17 points.
Round Lake 60, Grayslake 56: Round Lake (8-8, 6-1) earned the Northwest Suburban victory as Rob Moore scored 20 points and Jared Lopez hit four of six free throws in the final minute.
Elgin Academy 79, Malta 55: Aurio Grayson’s 20 points powered Elgin Academy (12-4) in non-conference play.