DeKALB – The DeKalb Barbs came out on a mission Thursday to avenge their loss the night before to Geneva at their home tournament. The Barbs scored only 35 points in their loss that night, but had 33 at halftime Thursday as they bested the Lincoln-Way West Warriors 67-31 in the Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic.

“It was way better than when we got our butt kicked by Geneva,” DeKalb guard Darrell Island said. “One more pass gets you one more bucket, so that’s what we were working for.”

The Barbs clamped down on defense all game, holding the Warriors to 25% shooting.

While the Barbs’ defense was holding the Warriors down, the offense took flight, especially from behind the arc. The Barbs started off hot, hitting five of six 3s in the first quarter for a 21-8 lead after eight minutes. The Barbs finished hitting 13 of 25 from 3-point range.

“I think the defensive energy was the difference,” DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds said. “I think that enabled us to play a little more in transition and get more looks. Ball movement and people movement was better, but that comes down to our energy.”

Guard Sean Reynolds started off hot, nailing two 3s in the opening quarter. He hit four of seven from deep to lead the team with 12 points.

“Everybody was happy,” Sean Reynolds said. “We felt like a family again. ... When we trust each other, we make shots and play defense.”

Three other Barbs were right behind Reynolds with 11 points a piece. Island controlled the paint for his 11 points.

“We were a lot better, certainly,” Mike Reynolds said. “We did a lot of soul searching. We weren’t really good yesterday. We didn’t come with our normal effort. We had that [effort] today, and it’s amazing how shots go in when you’re guarding.”

Eric Rosenow knocked down three of four shots from behind the arc for his 11 points. Scott Suddeth had 11 points in only eight minutes off the bench. Suddeth, who doesn’t get much playing time, had the bench jumping and cheering in the fourth quarter. He also took a charge that lit up the team.

“Scott, specifically, is a senior who works his tail off and never expects to play. He’s the ultimate teammate,” his coach said. “I’m glad that our guys were excited for him. He’s what our program is about. We want to reward guys who put in time and effort. He certainly deserves it.”

The Warriors were led by Jacob Willis and Drew Munch with seven points apiece.

The exclamation point came early in the game, as DeKalb center Davon Grant stole the ball near half court and took it all the way to the rim with an emphatic slam with 4:20 left in the first quarter. Grant led the team with seven rebounds to go along with his nine points.