Boys Basketball: Riverside Brookfield’s big rally falls just short against top seed Young

HILLSIDE – Even with the Riverside Brookfield boys basketball team trailing by 11 points early in the third quarter, senior Joevonn McCottry sensed the Bulldogs had a comeback left in them.

“I’ve been playing with these dudes since fourth grade. I know one thing. We’re going to fight until the final buzzer,” McCottry said. “I had no doubt in my mind we were going to get back in the game.”

The Bulldogs responded by taking three leads in the fourth quarter before top-seeded Whitney Young rallied to prevail 64-54 in the Class 4A Proviso West Sectional semifinals.

No. 4-seed R-B (23-6) took its final lead at 50-48 with 4:47 left on the second huge three-pointer from senior JP Hanley. McCottry scored to close the gap to 54-52 with 2:41 to play, but the Dolphins (23-9) then asserted their distinctive height advantage with three blocked shots along with two steals during R-B’s final six possessions.

“It came down to the wire but they made a little more plays at the end. They’re a great team,” Hanley said. “We fought really hard. We had a nice little run in the third and fourth. We were streaky.”

McCottry led R-B with 21 points, three threes and three steals. Senior Joe Gilhooley had 12 points and six rebounds, senior Brady Vaia added nine points and two threes and Hanley had eight points.

Whitney Young will play No. 3 seed Lyons Township (25-5) or No. 2 Curie (26-6) in Friday’s sectional final.

“We had our chances. The effort was there. The energy was there,” R-B coach Mike Reingruber said. “It just came down to they made more play down the stretch. We had opportunities. They made plays and we didn’t.”

Down 54-52, the Bulldogs had an inside shot blocked and the Dolphins’ 6-foot-3 Marcus Pigram converted inside at the other end. After an R-B shot was blocked out of bounds, 6-8 senior and Northern Illinois recruit Xavier Amos deflected a pass that Matt Somerville recovered and converted into a layup and 58-52 margin.

Two Dalen Davis free throws made the score 60-54. Somerville’s steal and dunk with 26.8 seconds sealed the victory. Hanley was the primary defender on 6-foot-8 senior AJ Carey, a University of Miami recruit limited to four second-half points. But Pilgram exploded for 23 points and Amos (14) and Somerville (10) reached double figures.

R-B was fairly consistent offensively but struggled early negating Young’s size advantage that led to numerous drives and inside buckets. The Bulldogs then allowed just two offensive rebounds in the second half after nine in the first that led to eight second-chance points and a 32-26 halftime deficit.

“One thing we value in practice is team defense,” McCottry said. “I think for the most part we rose to the occasion. They made more plays than us when it mattered.”

With R-B trailing 38-27 in the third quarter, back-to-back threes by McCottry and Hanley in the corner from a Gilhooley pass sparked a 10-0 run that made it a game.

“Whitney Young, four minutes to go, tie game (50-50). We had opportunities,” Reingruber said. “I can’t be more proud of our guys. I really hurt for our seniors.”

Sophomore Will Gonzalez generally started with the four seniors and seniors Damahrion Murrell and Cory Baker and junior Arius Alijosius were key reserves. Murrell and Baker especially were helpful Tuesday in increasing the Bulldogs’ quickness during the middle quarters.

“I’ve said a lot of times we had eight starters,” Reingruber said.

The Bulldogs won the Metro Suburban Conference Blue title and their third straight regional. They finished strong after a 9-1 start was halted by a COVID-related layoff that left them without games or a holiday tournament from Dec. 17 to Jan. 7.

“We had our ups and downs but in the middle of the season, the Fenwick game (38-36 loss Jan. 22), we really stuck together and just pulled closer,” McCottry said. “We pulled closer as a team off the court mostly and that made us play better on the court.”