Glenbard West Topples Oswego East in Overtime, 61-55

The Wolves jumped out early, taking a 5-0 lead on the Hilltoppers early in the first quarter.  But it didn’t take long for Glenbard West to right the ship.  Matthew Mache opened the scoring with a three, followed by his brother Michael’s two to tie the game at five. 

Both teams were playing with a lot of adrenaline and at times the play got a little loose.  The Hilltoppers and Wolves were tied four times in the first frame before Deshawn Elliot’s three-pointer gave the Hilltoppers a 17-15 lead at the quarter ended.

“Our game plan was to try and get inside because of our size, and I think that worked out” said Hilltopper center Todd Lowery, who had two key baskets in the first quarter.

 The Hilltoppers continued to press their height advantage in the second quarter, with all their points coming from the front court.  With Michael Mache leading the way with seven of his 18 points in the quarter, the Hilltoppers were able to extend their lead to 28-23 at the half by holding the Wolves to just eight points.

After the half, the Wolves came out strong and started to press.  Within a couple of turnovers, the Wolves had closed the gap to 28-27 before Jeff Levesque hit a two-point shot three minutes into the quarter to keep the Hilltoppers up, 30-27. 

“They just picked up their defensive pressure and we were having trouble,” said Hilltopper coach Tim Hoder.  “We had a bunch of turnovers early in the third quarter where they just pressured us and we didn’t do a very good job of executing.  We finally hit some free throws to end the draught."

The Wolves' Adam Reaves, who would lead  all scorers with 19 points during the game, hit a three-point shot to tie the game and was quickly followed by four points from Wesley Brooks.  Egan Montgomery’s two-point basket and Evan Fischl’s second three-point field goal of the night kept Glenbard West in the game, but the Wolves ended the quarter up by one at 36-35.

“They tried to break us down off the dribble, and [Reaves] is a really good shooter,” said Lowery.  “They would break us down and kick the ball to him, or get all the way to the basket and dump it to someone underneath.  But we got some key stops at the end of the game.”

With the winner advancing and the loser having their season end, both teams were down to business in the fourth quarter.  Michael Mache hit some big shots, as did Todd Lowery.  The Wolves' Reaves had eight points in the fourth and his three-point shot late in the quarter put the Wolves ahead.  Pat Mazza hit a key two-point shot as time was winding down to tie the game for the fourth time in the quarter and the ninth time in the game.  

The Wolves had the ball with a minute to go and  worked down the clock, before trying to drive the basket with less than 10 seconds left in the game for the win.  The Hilltopper defense held, though, and forced the overtime.

Before the Hilltoppers sixth overtime period of the year, coach Hoder talked about what to do:

“Let’s not panic,” Hoder advised. "Let’s get the tip and get on the board first." 

The Hilltoppers won the jump ball and quickly got the ball to Mazza who put the Hilltoppers up by two.  The Wolves' Reaves hit yet another three, and the Wolves were once again on top—but it wouldn’t last.  The Hilltoppers ran off the last seven points of the quarter, five of which came from Matthew Mache.   

“Our kids battled, they didn’t panic and just kept fighting,” said Hoder.

Glenbard West next plays against Waubonsie Valley on Wednesday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. at Glenbard East.

Glenbard West   61  Oswego East  55

Glenbard West    17  11    7   17   9

Oswego East           15   8  13   16   3

Glenbard West:  Fischl 2 0-0 6, Montgomery 1 0-0 2, Levesque 1 2-5 4, Elliot 1 0-0 3, Lowery 5, 0-3 10, Matthew Mache 3 5-6 12, Michael Mache 6 6-7 18, Mazza 2 2-4 6

Oswego East: Wilder 2 0-0 4, Brooks 4 4-5 12, Vaughan 1 2-2 4, Campbell 2 0-1 4, Jones 1 0-0 2, Reaves 7 0-0 19, Gant 2 2-2 6, Bitner 1 2-2 4

Three point field goals:  Glenbard West(4) Fischl(2), Elliot, Matthew Mache,  Oswego East(5) Reaves(5)