Raiders Battle but Their Comeback Falls Short

Last night's matchup showed two very different teams that squared off at Wheaton Academy in IHSA regional play.  Different, but evenly matched.  

The Raiders found themselves in a hole early in the game, as North Lawndale converted turnovers into points.  North Lawndale was quick to the ball and ran effective traps.   While this hurt the Raiders, the Raider defense was holding their own and controlling the boards in the early going.  Dusko Despot was a force under the basket, boxing out and causing foul problems for the North Lawndale front court.  Despot was also active on the offensive side, and when the first quarter ended, North Lawndale led only 10-7 with Despot earning five of the seven Raider points.

“I was really proud of the way our guys came out,” said Raider coach Wade Hardtke.  “It took us a little bit to settle in offensively, but I thought defensively we really did a nice job, especially on the boards setting the tone.  They rose to the challenge.”

Despot continued his offensive burst in the second quarter too, scoring the first five Raider points and closing the gap to 14-12. 

"He grew up a ton tonight,” said Raider coach Wade Hardtke of Dusko Despot.  "He was physical, he boxed out the best he has all season.  He single handedly set the tone for us the first three possessions.  He’s worked hard to develop his inside game.  He should be a lot of fun to watch."

The Raiders were having trouble adjusting to the speed of the game and finding cutters in the paint.  After a three by North Lawndale's Garrett Taylor, South's Jon Berrospi and Carl Lane hit back-to-back two pointers to bring the Raiders within one.   A Raider turnover led to two points and started North Lawndale on a 9-2 run to end the half with the Raiders down 26-18.

The Raiders managed to move a little closer by the end of the third quarter, but North Lawndale was making gains with their slowdown game.  As the Raiders were tucked into their zone defense, North Lawndale would hold the ball near half court, content to let the clock tick down and wait for an opportunity. 

The Raiders made their final run as the fourth quarter started.  Matt Jeske nailed a three-point shot and Joe Harks scored five points to again bring the Raiders within two.  The Raiders moved the ball well and had some open looks, but couldn’t get that last tying shot to drop.  With the Raiders forced to foul, North Lawndale scored the last five points of the game with free throws.

“I was proud of the way the guys came out and completed,” Said Hardtke.  “We were a couple of little breaks away from being in a totally different situation.'

“We certainly played our best basketball game the last game of the season. It’s unfortunate that we had to go out on that one because they really worked hard tonight.”

Glenbard South  33  Chicago-North Lawndale 40

Glenbard South    7  11  7  8

Chicago-NLCP     10  16  5  9

Glenbard South:  Berrospi 1 0-0 2, Jeske 2 0-1 6, Harks 1 3-3 5, Lane 1 2-2 4, Marshall 1 0-0 2, Despot 5 4-5 14

Chicago-NLCP:  Thorpe 2 2-2 6, Taylor 2 2-2 7, Thigpen 0 1-2 1, Johnson 1 2-2 4, McCray 2 2-5 6, Jones 2 1-2 6, Mack 1 0-0 2, Smith 0 2-2 2, Holden 0 0-1 0, Singletary 3 0-0 6

Three point field goals: Glenbard South(2):  Jeske(2),  Chicago-NLCP(2): Taylor,  Jones,