Niles North handles Wheeling

Niles North was not about to let Wheeling continue to build momentum from its first-round upset in its 33rd annual Wildcat Hardwood Classic boys basketball tournament.

The Vikings turned up the defensive pressure early and used strong ball movement to keep it up offensively as it put away the feisty Wildcats 62-46 in Tuesday night’s final quarterfinal game.

“They dictated the tempo and pace of the game from the start,” said Wheeling coach John Clancy, whose team gave Vernon Hills its first loss Monday. “We knew we were going to play some stifling pressure defense and we didn’t respond.”

The Wildcats (4-6) committed 23 turnovers and shot just 35 percent (14-for-40) from the field to wind up in today’s 5:30 p.m. game against St. Viator, a 62-59 loser to Lake Park.

“They’re a great team and we knew they were going to pressure us all game,” said Wheeling junior Charlie Kirk, who scored a career-high 14 points. “It took us a little by surprise. We tried to keep on pushing through it but (Abdul) Nader wore us down.

“We talked about it after the game and we couldn’t really get what we wanted to establish offensively. We didn’t get a flow on offense going.”

And Niles North (7-4), which plays Lake Park in the 8:45 p.m. semifinal, did as the New Mexico-bound Nader had 19 points and 5 of his team’s 16 assists against Wheeling’s 1-3-1 zone. Andre Shaw came off the bench to get 15 points and 8 rebounds and Malachi Nix had 4 assists.

“Wheeling is a very well-coached team and we knew they were going to be prepared and we knew they were going to believe they could win the game,” said Niles North coach Glenn Olson. “In our walk-through we probably went through five or six different defenses. But no matter what defense they’re playing we’re sharing the basketball and getting great shots.”

Matt Hart added 8 points for Wheeling but foul trouble also limited guard and scoring leader Tyler Shapiro’s minutes and production to 5 points. Niles North also shackled Ricky Schwind to 4 points and 1-for-2 on 3-pointers after he hit seven on Monday.

“The way they executed tonight, they’re a scary, dangerous team,” Clancy said of Niles North.