Boys Basketball: Glenbard South rides fast start to rout at Elgin

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ELGIN – A big high school basketball story in the Upstate Eight Conference was new Elgin coach Brett Johnson returning to his alma mater after helming the South Elgin boys basketball program the past seven seasons.

“Our goal as a staff and as a program is [to] try and change the Elgin culture and bring it back to the tradition that it had,” said Johnson, a 2002 Elgin graduate who played basketball for the Maroons. “We know it’s hard and it’s difficult and the kids have to be willing to fight. We know it’s in them. As a team, they have to start deciding that you know what, we’re tired of playing this way. Let’s believe in what the coaches are saying and see what happens.”

For Johnson, the road on which he seeks to restore Elgin to both UEC and area prominence is one that will require more renovation and repairs. The Maroons dropped a 71-32 home decision to visiting Glenbard South on Dec. 15 at Chesbrough Fieldhouse.

The Raiders (4-4, 3-2) raced to an early 8-0 advantage in the opening minute of play thanks to the nifty handiwork of senior guard D’Manual Payton. His 3-pointer and three-point play were sandwiched around a Cam Williams layup that had Glenbard South in cruise control and never looking back.

After Maroons junior guard Maddox Hollian connected from beyond the arc to get the home team on the scoreboard at the 6:26 mark, another basket from Payton (game-high 18 points) keyed an 8-1 run that had the visitors from Glen Ellyn up 16-4 just past the halfway mark of the first quarter.

The Raiders led 24-9 at quarter’s end, 39-21 at the break and 64-32 after three quarters to commence a running clock in the final frame.

Payton, who added five steals, said it was important to get off to a good beginning to set the tone for the team’s successful night.

“The last couple of games, we started slow. We wanted to come out and just play hard and play our game,” Payton said. “We’re all team players, we all want to move the ball and score. We just want to get our teammates involved and get some points and get the win.”

Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke seconded that point.

“That’s something that we’ve been stressing, something that we’ve been working on all season long, and tonight was really the first night we’ve been able to see that,” Hardtke said. “That was our biggest takeaway of the game.”

Junior forward Jalen Brown joined Payton in double figures with 15 points.

Hollian’s 16 points paced the Maroons (4-6, 1-4).