By Bobby Narang
Riverside-Brookfield High School boys basketball coach Mike Reingruber slowly started to let out a smile when discussing the victory Friday, Jan. 26.
The Bulldogs were in command for most of their non-conference home game against Lyons, until the final three-plus minutes. The Lions mounted a furious comeback, only to fall just short in dropping a 68-60 decision to the Bulldogs.
The victory marked No. 20 on the season for Riverside-Brookfield, an accomplishment not lost on Reingruber.
“It’s a good group and a resilient group,” Reingruber said. “The one thing I like about this team is they seem to win in different ways. We don’t have one signature in this is how we’re going to get it done. It’s not by design. We have different guys stepping up and different ways of making plays. Sometimes it’s the three-ball going in, or Stefan (Cicic) getting going in from the start.”
The Bulldogs (20-3, 4-0 Metro Suburban) have won five straight games to notch the program’s fifth straight 20-plus win total in the last five full seasons. The Bulldogs have a deep and talented team, led by 7-foot senior center Stefan Cicic to go with talented senior guard Steven Brown and sophomore sensation Cameron Mercer, the son of former NBA player Ron Mercer. Cameron Mercer drilled six three-pointers for a game-high 21 points in the win over Lyons.
“Cameron has been fantastic all year long,” Reingruber said. “He’s had big games in big moments. He’s a kid who’s not scared of anyone or anything and lives for the moment. I’m excited to see him continue to progress for the next two years. He had a huge game tonight. For us to be successful for the rest of the year, we need him.”
The Lions (7-13) nearly recorded an impressive comeback win. Ian Polonowski drilled four three-point shots for a team-high 15 points. Liam Taylor finished with 13 points and Caleb Greer had nine. Brady Chambers had four points and 14 rebounds.
“We fought like crazy, and the kids played really well, especially in the second half,” Lyons coach Tom Sloan said. “We made a lot of big plays, but Riverside-Brookfield did, too. They shot it really well and got some offensive rebounds that were costly. I’m so proud of our effort.
“Our guys played really hard. Brady, Liam and Ian all played well for us. It was a nice effort from the guys.”