Glenbard South can't catch up to R-B

Glenbard South could never recover from the Riverside-Brookfield first-half broadsides.

The Bulldogs' blistered the Raiders' defense in the opening half with 70 percent shooting, including 8-for-10 from beyond the arc, in building a commanding 18-point lead at the break.

Glenbard South doubled its offensive output in the second half in quarterfinal action of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic in Elmhurst on Saturday afternoon, but R-B had too much firepower in its 76-66 victory.

The loss dropped them into the fifth-place bracket; R-B advanced to the semifinals in extending its season-opening winning streak to nine games.

"You come out flat, and they shoot the ball like that - that spells trouble," Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke said of the Bulldogs' blistering start that translated into a 40-22 lead at the intermission. "We didn't match their intensity (in the first half)."

Glenbard South (7-2) had a 6-0 first-quarter run to offset opening 3-pointers to forge the only tie of the game, but the Bulldogs took command from there.

Derek Tomasek and Sean McGonagill combined for nine 3-pointers and 50 points to lead R-B, with the latter beating the first- and second-quarter buzzers with shots to accentuate the Bulldogs' early dominance.

But the Raiders in general and Jordan Harks in particular would be an entirely different entity in the second half.

Harks struggled early against the Bulldogs, misfiring on 7 of his 9 shots before the break.

The 6-foot-6 center was virtually unstoppable after the break, however; the senior converted his final eight shot attempts of the game, including all six in the final quarter, tallying 25 of his game-high 31 points after halftime.

"I was fading away a lot (in the first half) and not going up strong," Harks said. "I was the biggest guy out there."

Harks' 6-point unanswered run to begin the second half brought the Raiders to within 40-31, but R-B continually found a solution to thwart the comeback efforts.

"Every time we got it close, they kept hitting their shots," Harks said.

Even with Harks pouring in 15 of the Raiders' 26 fourth-quarter points, R-B never relinquished its double-digit spread.

"This is a great tournament and a good win for us," said R-B coach Tom McCloskey. "(McGonagill) has really stepped up all facets of his game."

Nine players scored for Glenbard South, but Trace Wanless and Matt Kuzniar were the Raiders' second-leading scorers with 6 apiece.