By Bobby Narang
Basketball is back.
After a long absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that stretched into early February, high school basketball was back in full force in Illinois last week.
Although some teams had trouble scheduling games at the last minute, several teams played multiple games in a row. Wheaton Warrenville South, which finished with a 20-12 record last season, played three games in three days, all against diverse opponents.
The Tigers opened the season with a hard-fought home victory over rival Naperville North, defeated a solid St. Joseph squad that featured talented junior center Kyle Thomas, and dropped a 42-29 decision to Benet Academy Super Bowl Sunday.
Wheaton Warrenville South head coach Mike Healy said it was productive start to a season that will not include a State tournament.
“It was good because I think we were able to work on bunch of things, different things, from zone offense, to man offense, to seeing kids who can put (the ball) on the floor, while other groups who shot it well,” he said. “We were challenged in all three, but especially in this season, that’s what you want because you are not playing for sectional seeds.”
In South’s opener, Parker Brown helped stave off a late rally by Naperville North with some clutch shooting to lead the Tigers to a 51-43 victory. The season opener for both teams was an odd sight, with only a smattering of fans, all sitting in the last three rows, and each quarter featuring a 90-second mask time out. The Huskies dressed only eight players.
“It was great to be back on the court,” Brown said. “We waited so long. This was a big step to get the win. It was crazy, and louder in the gym that I thought. One of our main goals was to get the bench (reserves) going.”
• Timothy Christian hit the court for the first time in just over 11 months. The Trojans captured a Class 2A super-sectional championship last season, but didn’t get an opportunity to play in the State semifinal after the IHSA (Illinois High School Association) canceled the season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Neuqua Valley spoiled Timothy Christian’s season opener Saturday in a 65-53 victory. Neuqua Valley senior guard John Poulakidas, a Yale University recruit, led all scorers with 26 points.
“It felt great to be back out there on the court,” Poulakidas said. “There’s nothing more you can ask for to be back on the court. It was a great feeling. I was happy that I wasn’t forcing anything on the offensive end, not force shots, and tried to get the best shot possible on offense.”
Timothy Christian coach Scott Plaisier said it wasn’t the ideal opener, but he was happy for his players.
“I told the team afterwards that it almost didn’t feel like a game because we would normally get a big crowd on a Saturday night,” he said. “There was a little adjustment period with that. Normally our bench is really loud, so an adjustment period with that on how loud should we be, and we were playing against a really good basketball team. We were chasing all night long, and we let down just a hair in the fourth and they go on a run and that’s a basketball game.
• On the girls side, Glenbard East defeated Glenbard South, 50-39, behind a 24-point, 11-rebound production from Lauren Huber February 6. Huber said it was great to get back on the court, even if the rivalry side had no students in attendance.
“It’s been a big rivalry, always fun, and competitive,” Huber said. “At this point I feel it’s more comparing what you have to nothing than comparing what you have to what you had. I’m happy we are back playing and together as a team.”