Boys basketball: Stefan Cicic, Riverside-Brookfield rally past St. Ignatius at Chicago Elite Classic

CHICAGO – It’s been said that big-time players make big-time plays in close games.

The same logic can apply to teams. And Riverside-Brookfield showed it’s still big-time by rallying from a seven-point deficit over the final two minutes to pull out a 50-49 victory against St. Ignatius in the Chicago Elite Classic at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Credit Union One Arena Saturday afternoon.

“We stayed calm and collected as a team,” said R-B center Stefan Cicic, who had 10 points and nine rebounds. “That’s a really good team we played and they brought their ‘A’ game. But we were keeping hope alive…the last two minutes we really brought it defensively and hit big shots.”

Trailing 49-42 with just over two minutes remaining, R-B (4-1) went to work. Steven Brown (10 points, four assists) hit a three, and the defense caused a subsequent St. Ignatius (3-2) turnover.

After Cicic scored inside on the ensuing possession, the Wolfpack turned it over again. The Bulldogs then found Danny Loftus (seven points, six rebounds) open at the top of the key for a three with 57 seconds left that gave them the lead.

Even so, R-B had to sweat things out as St. Ignatius had three opportunities to regain the advantage and potentially win. After a missed Wolfpack shot by Phoenix Gill (game-high 22 points), the Bulldogs turned it over.

Then Gill missed a close shot due to Cicic’s good defense with 10 seconds left. R-B sophomore Cameron Mercer (eight points) was fouled with 6.3 left, but he missed both free throws to give St. Ignatius a final chance.

The Wolfpack inbounded after a timeout with 3.8 left to Reggie Ray (nine points), but his jumper from the left side bounced off the rim as time expired.

“I wish we could make some free throws,” said R-B coach Mike Reingruber of the Bulldogs, who went just 2-of-10 from the charity stripe. “But other than that, I’m real happy with our guys and how we fought back.”

R=B received a big boost off the bench from senior guard Mehki Austin, who transferred in from Oak Park-River Forest. He scored eight of his 10 points in the second quarter.

“Mehki gives us a good spark,” Reingruber said. “He plays with a lot of energy, and it’s something our guys feed off of.”

“He’s a real good kid off the court,” Cicic said. “On the court, he’s aggressive. He hustles, he’s smart, plays good defense, and makes shots. He brought his ‘A’ game today.”

The win over St. Ignatius, which has gone downstate in Class 3A the last two years, should serve as a confidence-builder for the Bulldogs as they go forward.

“This proves we have that dog in us,” Cicic said. “Obviously, we’re not a ranked team; I’d say we’re the underdogs. But beating (St. Ignatius) will put us on the map. I feel now when we play these high-ranked teams, we have a chance.”

“We’re happy we walked out of here with a win. It showed we’re a pretty tough and resilient group,” Reingruber added. “Multiple guys brought it in multiple capacities, and it was a total team win.”

RB returns to action Tuesday night at home versus Chicago Latin.