Boys Basketball: Young Maine East squad not throwing in the towel
BY MIKE BUDA Contributor February 20, 2012 4:08PM
Northbrook Friday 02.17.12. Maine East's Ezeke Omeke (right) (22) blocks the shot of Glenbrook North's Mitchell Lev (left) (22) during their game on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, in Northbrook. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:30AM
Maine East is out to prove that it’s not over until it’s over.
The Blue Demons find themselves in the basement of the Central Suburban North, but have yet to all lose hope.
During a 67-44 loss to Glenbrook North on Friday, the Blue Demons (4-18, 0-10 CSL) executed well in the second half, and looked as though they were making progress.
“We’ve got young kids, and we’ve only got four seniors out there,” said East head coach Dave Genis. “There are a couple of the seniors that are learning still what it means to compete, and I thought that they did (vs. Glenbrook North). I think that there’s a huge learning curve for these guys, and I think that they’re starting to climb that mountain.”
With Maine East currently riding a 12-game skid, the losses may be taking their toll. But senior guard Aaron Shannon is there to keep his teammates in check.
“Some of the time, it still gets in their heads that we lost, and they get down even more on themselves and don’t feel like they want to play,” Shannon said. “As a team captain and as a leader, I try to get into their heads and tell them that we just need to keep moving forward, and we can only move forward from here.”
On offense, the Spartans used good ball movement to find scoring chances in taking a 24-4 first-quarter lead.
“We came out sluggish — we came out not ready to play and we weren’t mentally ready,” Shannon said. “We got a little pep talk from our coach, and we came out in the second half and played how we normally play.”
The second quarter brought more of the same from GBN: defensive pressure along with hot shooting.
Junior forward Andrew McAuliffe paced all scorers at the break with 10 points, and the Spartans led 39-12.
Maine East ignored the scoreboard in the second half, outscoring the hosts 35-28 in the two final frames.
“We were more focused in our decision making,” Genis said. “As far as posts are concerned, Ezeke (Omeke) is constantly doing the right things down there, so when he was in the ballgame, I think that made a big difference for us.”
Shannon led the Blue Demons in scoring with 15 points. Although he had limited playing time due to foul trouble, Omeke was still able to make an impression, tallying six points.
“He’s all over the floor, and he’s turning into a real warrior,” Genis said of the freshman.
Junior guard Evan Nazzal scored eight points, and senior center Adnan Kamencic contributed four points and five rebounds.
“We’ve fallen off here in the second half (of the season),” Genis said. “We hit some real lows in our energy — in our attention during the game — and I think we’re starting to get that back. We’re trying to focus on an ultimate goal of winning a regional game.”
Maine East was to face Glenbrook South on Tuesday, before opening up postseason play against Lane Tech in the St. Patrick Regional quarterfinals on Monday.
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