Forget his 10 points. Forget the eight steals. Holy Cross senior forward Ricky Mojek was mad.
With his team leading Marian Catholic 47-46 with 2 minutes 43 seconds remaining, Mojek had a chance to help put the Crusaders out of harm’s way when he picked off an errant pass and took off downcourt. But then he clanged his layup too hard off the backboard.
“Oh, man–that was embarassing,” said Mojek, in better spirits after the Crusaders’ 51-46 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory Friday night in River Grove. “You’ve got to make those. That’s the kind of stuff you learn in grammar school.”
Mojek redeemed himself a few moments after the gaffe. After Greg VonMoser hit two free throws with 30.7 seconds left to put Holy Cross (10-4, 4-1) up 49-46, Mojek picked off yet another pass in the closing seconds and helped lead a downcourt charge that resulted in a Brandon Mays layup to help put the contest out of reach.
“People will look at his points only, but Ricky is a tremendous defensive player,” Holy Cross coach Dan McCarthy said. “We’re a team that makes it happen defensively, and that’s what wins championships.”
Though Holy Cross held as much as a seven-point lead early in both halves, the contest turned dramatic in the game’s final period. Cedrick Middleton’s three-pointer and ensuing foul shot with 7:49 left in the fourth gave Marian (7-4, 2-2) its first lead at 40-37.
The lead changed hands five more times in the fourth, with Jawond Gage (18 points, five rebounds) scoring on a baseline drive with 2:43 remaining for what proved to be the game-winning points. Despite Mojek’s missed layup, Marian Catholic didn’t score after his steal seconds later. All 10 of Marian’s fourth-quarter points came from Middleton (19 points).
Phil English.
Bloom 67, Joliet 57
Bloom coach Gary Meyer stood with his arms crossed in frustration outside the home locker room. He had just finished venting his disapproval of his players’ performance Friday night against Joliet.
“I made my point and kept it at that,” Meyer explained. “I wasn’t really pleased.”
More Top Picks Best Luggage
And just imagine if the Trojans would have lost.
No. 7 Bloom (12-2) rallied to start the fourth quarter and pulled out a win in what was a tightly contested game up to that point.
What had Meyer so frustrated?
“We committed way too many turnovers and made some bad decisions,” admitted 6-foot 3-inch forward Jonathan Austin, who finished with 22 points, 13 turnovers and five assists.
It was Bloom’s 22 turnovers, including nine in the fourth quarter, that had Meyer so upset. But an 8-0 run in that final quarter finally put Bloom in command 57-47 with 6:39 remaining.
A charging call on Jeremy Fears, Joliet’s leading scorer, one minute later accounted for his fifth foul. But Fears, who finished with 18 points and five steals for the Steelmen (5-7), would make matters worse after arguing the call and earning a technical. Fears was also called for charging in the opening minutes of the quarter.
“I’ll admit those were a couple of close calls, but that is the hardest call in basketball,” Meyer said. “He’s their go-to-guy.”
Darnell Howell added 12 points for Bloom, which trailed 13-5 to start the game but recovered with a 9-0 run to end the first quarter with a 14-13 lead.
Bill Harrison.
Coal City 48, Plano 46: Troy Talkington scored 14 points including the game-winner with just under two seconds left for Coal City (11-1, 3-1) in the Interstate Eight.
Dwight 53, Sandwich 40: Cory Harbor sparked the Trojans (9-2, 4-0) with 19 points in the Interstate Eight.
Lisle 60, Reed-Custer 50: Pierre Parker netted 25 points for Lisle (8-6, 4-0) in the Interstate Eight. Trevor Huettemann’s 18 points led Reed-Custer (10-3, 2-2).
Yorkville 59, Minooka 46: Luke Engelhardt scored 19 points and Ryan Chatman added 12 points for the Foxes (8-5, 2-0) in the Suburban Prairie White.
Girls basketball
Benet/Naperville North: No. 7 Benet (15-1) used 14 points and ten rebounds from Margaret Schmidt to oust Naperville North 40-32. . . . Krystal Hugelier totaled up 34 points and 11 rebounds as No. 11 York (15-1) moved past West Chicago 68-49. Shaina Sullivan led West Chicago with 15 points. . . . Senior forward Latoya Thomas scored 18 points and Comisha Day added 10 points as Proviso East defeated Glenbard West 45-31. . . . Sarah Young’s 11 points led Wheaton Warrenville South past Providence 46-29.
South Bend (Ind.) Riley tournament: South Bend Riley downed No. 8 Young 39-37 in the championship game. Amanda Thompson led the Dolphins (12-3) with 17 points.
In the semifinals, Young defeated Rochester (Ind.) 34-25 behind Danielle Campbell’s 10 points.
St. Viator tournament: Sophomore Lindsay Schrader dropped in a career-high 38 points to go with 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks as Bartlett (13-2) toppled No. 18 St. Viator 70-54 for the tournament championship.
The game was tied 31-31 at half and Bartlett grabbed a 47-42 lead in the fourth quarter before embarking on a 13-4 run to put the game away. Schrader had seven points, including a three-pointer, in that run.
Shannon Schaeffer and Krista Mayyou scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, for St. Viator (11-2).
In other games, Randi Streng had 21 points as St. Charles North (5-9) moved past Wheeling (6-9) 62-50. . . . Dyshauna McArthur scored all 18 of her points on six three-pointers to lead Julian (9-6) over Good Counsel 51-34.
Chicago Public Schools tournament: Lashawn Johnson’s 15-foot turnaround jumper at the buzzer gave Harlan (15-1) a 67-66 overtime victory over Carver to advance to Saturday’s semifinals. Johnson finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Chana Bates had 19 points and six assists, while Andrea Downs added 18 points and four steals for Harlan.
Glenbard South 56, Plainfield South 36: Katie O’Brien and Caitlin O’Brien each scored 12 points to lead the Raiders (5-8, 1-2) in the Suburban Prairie Red. Sarah Trautman added 10 points for the winners, while Laura Strysik’s 11 points led Plainfield South.
Oak Lawn 74, Oak Forest 54: Dana Sullivan scored 17 points, five steals and dished out five assists to lead five Spartans (11-3) in double figures.
Stagg 72, Richards 59: Senior guard Denise Sulo had 16 points and five assists to lead the Chargers (13-3).
More Top Picks Outdoor Pizza Ovens
Yorkville 59, Minooka 58: Meghan Voiland scored 22 points and Abbey Rees added 11 points as the Foxes won in the Suburban Prairie White.