Boys Basketball: Brother Rice handles Tinley Park
By Pat Disabato pdisabato@southtownstar.com December 11, 2012 11:24PM
Brother Rice's Alex Majewski (left) puts a shot up against Tinley Park's Orlando Lewis during their basketball game in Chicago Tuesday, December 11, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: January 13, 2013 11:06AM
What makes No. 4 Brother Rice such a difficult team to defend is its ability to knock down the perimeter shot.
From 5-foot-9 point guard Jim Barista to 6-7 forward Alex Majewski, the Crusaders boast a bevy of sharp shooters.
Tinley Park found that out Tuesday night.
Majewski poured in a game-high 21 points, while Quinn Niego added 15 and Barista 12 to lead Rice to a 69-44 victory over the visiting Titans.
Rice canned 10 three-pointers on the evening.
“They’re No. 4 in your paper for a reason,” Tinley Park coach D.J. Brown said. “They’re a very good team. They’re a big team and their bigs shoot it as well as their guards can.”
Ray Rubio (8 points) and Niego buried three-pointers to start the game and give the Crusaders a quick 6-0 lead.
The Titans would close to 11-7, but never get any closer.
Rice (6-1) canned five threes in the opening quarter and led 19-12.
The lead would swell to 15 — 34-19 — at the break on a layup and trey by Rubio.
If Tinley Park had any intention of generating a second-half comeback, it was quickly dispelled by a 23-4 run by Rice to start the third.
Barista, who scored just two points in the first half, found his groove in the third quarter. The senior scored 10 points in the period, with Majewski adding eight.
By the time the third ended, Rice owned a 59-26 lead.
“Early in the second half, we made a couple of threes and we started rebounding,” Rice coach Pat Richardson said. “We got a couple fast-break layups and we did a better job defensively and rebounding.”
The return of Cal Kennedy to the lineup provided a spark for the Crusaders.
The 6-6 senior made his season debut after suffering an elbow injury. He scored only one point, but pulled down six rebounds and kick-started the Crusaders transition game with key outlet passes.
“Cal hasn’t practiced once yet,” Richardson said. “He had such a good summer. Rebounding has been our biggest weakness and having him back will help us.”
Greg Martin led Tinley Park (3-5) with nine points, while DeQuan Powell added seven off the bench.
