Boys Basketball: Stevenson too much for Streamwood

Updated: December 28, 2011 1:22AM

Streamwood found a way to cope with one huge Stevenson run in Tuesday’s opening round of the Wheeling Hardwood Classic.

The second run proved quite a bit more than the Sabres could manage, though, as a 33-29, late third-quarter contest quickly ballooned out of hand into a 60-36 Stevenson victory.

“Early, we just started off good,” Stevenson 6-foot-6 senior forward Colby Cashaw said. “We started to think it would stay like that the whole time.”

None of the Patriots minded a 17-0 run to start the game after being inactive since Dec. 16.

Guard Jalen Brunson had eight of his 10 points in the first quarter, Michael Fleming had a three-pointer and Andy Stempel four points during the Patriots’ quick start.

Streamwood, though, stormed right back and appeared poised to challenge for the lead until an 8-0 run by Stevenson in the last 2:04 of the third quarter and then an 8-1 stretch early in the fourth quarter that put the contest out of reach.

“We start out down 17-0, and then we’re back in the game, doing OK,” Streamwood coach Tim Jones said. “Then we just make uncharacteristic turnovers — guys were not realizing what they can and cannot do, inexplicably.

“I think they just panicked with the ball and I don’t think it was really anything Stevenson did or didn’t do. We just panicked.”

Fleming, who finished with a team-high 17 points, made a free throw to start the run, then the Sabres made a turnover and Fleming nailed a trey. Fleming then put down a rebound bucket after another Streamwood turnover, and after a Streamwood timeout and another Sabre turnover, Matt Morrissey hit two free throws for a 41-29 lead after three quarters.

In all, Streamwood made nine turnovers in the final 4:50 of the second quarter and 10 for the quarter. The 17-point Stevenson lead had been cut to 33-29 largely because of 12 second-quarter and four third-quarter points by Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle. And then in an instant, the possibility to gain the lead was gone — all gone.

“I give the kids a lot of credit for being so resilient,” Jones said. “It’s tough but they came back after being way down from the bad start. But they’ve got to be realistic about what they can and can’t do shooting and they have to take care of the ball. We did such a good job in our zone and confused them and forced turnovers, and then we just didn’t capitalize. It just kills you. ... We were right there with a very good ballclub.”

Cashaw took over in the fourth quarter to help prevent another Sabre rally, and felt it might be necessary because he helped fuel the earlier rally by getting a technical foul for intentionally hanging on the rim after a dunk. The resulting two free throws by Dalton Lundeen and a Vince Williams layup got the Sabres (2-9) to 33-29 with 2:22 left in the third quarter. But Cashaw finished with nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to key the blowout.

“In the fourth quarter I knew I had to get after it or else I would hear it from my dad (about the technical),” Cashaw said. “We just got after it and lit up the scoreboard.”

Stevenson (8-1) went 7-for-12 from the field in the fourth quarter after hitting just 7-of-23 in the second and third quarters.

“Mike (Fleming) was able to step up and he and Jalen (Brunson) kind of play well off each other,” Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. “Colby blocked a couple shots and controlled the middle and rebounded and we were able to finish stuff off when we got the ball inside.”

Larkin-Guilfoyle finished with a game-high 20 points, but had just two in the fourth quarter as Streamwood dropped its sixth straight.

Streamwood plays Loyola at 9 a.m. in the losers bracket Wednesday, while Stevenson plays Prospect at 5:30 p.m. in the winners bracket.

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