After holding Libertyville to just nine points in the opening half of Friday’s convincing road victory, Warren was unable to duplicate its defensive effort at home Saturday night against Evanston.
Needing just half a quarter to surpass Libertyville’s output, Evanston (6-2) led the entire game in upsetting No. 20 Warren 62-47 in Gurnee.
After converting just two of seven field goals in the opening quarter, Warren (7-2) fell behind 14-8 after one quarter and 27-22 at intermission due largely to Evanston’s domination of the offensive boards.
Though the Blue Devils closed to within 36-34 on a basket by Mark Klemm (19 points, 10 rebounds) with 1:25 left in the third, Evanston put the game away early in the fourth on the strength of its perimeter game.
A pair of three-pointers by Scott Horne and Stacy Moragne (15 points apiece) in the opening minute of the fourth quarter quickly ballooned the Wildkits’ lead to 45-36. Horne and Moragne helped Evanston pull away by scoring seven points each in the final period.
“We know who we are and we know what we’re capable of,” said Evanston coach Paul Pryma, whose team had five players score eight or more points. “Jimmy Gee (eight points) came in off the bench and gave us a huge spark.”
Jonathan Schoenberg.
West Side-South Side Classic
Providence-St. Mel’s Sam Harris buried two free throws with 8 seconds left to lift the Knights to a 58-56 win over Dunbar in the first game of the 2000 West Side versus South Side Classic at Westinghouse. Dunbar guard Jason Straight lost control trying to get off a tying shot.
In a tight game that no team led by more than five points, Dunbar (4-2) was holding out for a final shot when center Aaron Spears turned it over with 29 seconds remaining, setting up Harris’ heroics.
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“We did a better job capitalizing on their mistakes than they did on ours,” Providence-St. Mel coach Tim Ervin said.
The first-year coach also praised the play of 6-foot-7-inch Stanley Gaines, who scored seven of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for St. Mel (4-4). Martel Mahon led the Mighty Men with 13; Straight added 12.
In the second game, Westinghouse used the powerful inside versatility of Richard Russell (20 points, nine rebounds, three blocks) and Jamal Washington (18 points, 11 rebounds) to power the Warriors past Hubbard 77-56. Behind the superb floor play of Jamaal Brown, who finished with eight points, five assists and four steals, the Warriors used a 13-1 first-quarter run to gain control, pushing their advantage to 41-18 at the break.
Hubbard (2-5) fought back behind Michael Floyd’s 15 points and long-distance shooter Vertis Moore’s 14 to close within 12 on three occasions in the third quarter.
But Russell scored eight points in the final five minutes, part of the team’s 14-5 finishing run, to put the game away. Going back to March’s state championship game, the Warriors (1-3) had lost four straight games.
In the final game, Steinmetz (5-2) fought off a furious second-half rally to subdue DuSable 54-52. Steinmetz led 28-18 at the half, but DuSable used 13 third-quarter points from Richard Moody, who finished with 17, to close within 34-33 at the end of three. Steinmetz’s Aaron Harrison (21 points, 11 rebounds) scored nine points to fuel a 14-6 run, but DuSable rallied behind three-point shooter Robert Greer, who finished with 15 points, to close to 53-52 with 18 seconds remaining. After a Harrison miss, DuSable (1-5) had the ball with 6 seconds remaining but turned the ball over.
Patrick Z. McGavin.
In other games
Downers Grove North 83, Peoria Notre Dame 63: The 11th-ranked Trojans (9-0) cruised behind Eric Allen’s 31 points. Kyle Kleckner chipped in with 18 points and Andy Sigerich added 14 for Downers, which outscored Notre Dame (7-2) 23-8 in the second quarter.
St. Viator 44, Palatine 41: Andy Schaeffer tallied 12 points and scored the go-ahead basket with 53 seconds left as the 17th-ranked Lions (9-0) survived in non-conference action. St. Viator made three free throws down the stretch for insurance. Cassidy Peterson had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Palatine (1-7).
Champaign Centennial 69, Proviso West 57: Che Jordan scored 19 points to lead Centennial. Deandre Richmond’s 15 points led Proviso West (5-4).
DeKalb 59, Sycamore 41: Justin Diedrich tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists as the Barbs (9-0) won the non-conference game. Erik Jaske and John Battista also scored 12 points for DeKalb.
East Aurora 77, Bartlett 65: Raymond Anthony had 23 points and five three-pointers for the Tomcats in the Upstate Eight.
Ida Crown 50, Northside Prep 44: Josh Robinson tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead Ida Crown (7-0).
Maine South 56, Hersey 43: John Vigna’s 16 points lifted the Hawks (5-4).
Montini 69, Driscoll 58: Joe Gay made six three-pointers and finished with 20 points as the Broncos (7-1, 5-0) won in the Suburban Catholic. Art Becker’s 20 points led Driscoll (3-7, 2-3).
Mundelein 69, Round Lake 30: Graham Beatty had 16 points as the Mustangs (7-2) rolled. Mundelein outscored Round Lake 24-6 in the third quarter to blow the game open.
Neuqua Valley 86, Lake Park 67: Henry Davis scored 24 points and made four three-pointers as the Wildcats cruised in the Upstate Eight. Josh Wesley added 20 points off the bench for Neuqua.
Notre Dame 54, Holy Cross 50: John Bowler had 29 points to lead Notre Dame (5-3, 3-1) in the East Suburban Catholic.
Princeton 63, Morris 40: Dog Foss’ 23 points paced Princeton in the non-conference game. Kevin Laughary’s 15 points led Morris (4-1).
Rich South 78, North Chicago 75: Brandon Cole tallied 32 points and 10 rebounds as the Stars (5-2) held off a late charge. Demetrius Terrell led North Chicago (5-4) with 31 points.
St. Charles East 68, Larkin 47: Eric Regan scored a game-high 29 points as the Saints (6-2, 3-1) rolled in the Upstate Eight. Regan scored 13 of his points during St. Charles’ 21-3 second-quarter run.
Wheeling 60, Gordon Tech 56 (OT): Andrew Peternel scored 19 points as Wheeling (1-7) upset Gordon Tech, which advanced to the state quarterfinals last season. Peternel hit a short jumper at the buzzer of regulation to force overtime. Chris Inniss had 12 points to lead Gordon.
Willowbrook 50, Glenbard East 46: Trey Smith scored 13 points and Tony Batee added 11 as Willowbrook (6-4) held on for the non-conference victory. Jason Fisher’s 18 points led Glenbard East.
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