Disabato: Sandburg showing signs of life

• Reprints

Updated: January 16, 2012 10:22AM

Will the real Sandburg please stand up?

To say the start of the season has been a challenging one for Todd Allen’s boys basketball team would be an understatement.

This publication bestowed a No. 9 pre-season ranking on the Eagles.

Hopes were high that Sandburg, with a good blend of talented veterans and newcomers and a gifted head coach, would be a force. They also had size, with a 6-foot-7, 6-6, 6-5 frontline.

The start of the season, however, hasn’t matched the preseason hype.

Sandburg lost three straight at Hinsdale South’s Thanksgiving Tip-Off Tournament, instantly sapping the air out of the excitement balloon.

To be fair, it wasn’t as though Sandburg lost to slouches. Benet, Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central are good teams.

Additionally, the injury bug made an early-season visit to the Eagles roster, forcing Allen to shuffle the deck.

But Tuesday night against a surging Brother Rice squad, one that had won six of its first seven games and drubbed Sandburg by 36 points a year earlier, the Eagles provided a glimpse of their potential.

And at the same time, allowed Sandburg’s school band to jam and overshadow the ready-to-pounce Crusader Crazies student section.

“I thought we played real well tonight,” said Allen, after the Eagles posted a 56-33 win over the Crusaders. “Defensively, we’ve been doing a good job. Finally, tonight we got things going offensively.”

While I normally wouldn’t define 56 points an offensive explosion, it’s impressive for Sandburg, considering leading scorer Nick Lehnerer did not play. Lehnerer, who averages 13 points per game, remains out for undisclosed reasons.

His absence didn’t matter to Sandburg on this night, not with the way seniors Joe Kuligoski, Ken Payonk and Brian Dace stepped up. The trio combined for 35 points, with Kuligoski leading the way with 17.

Senior guard Mario Wright and junior guard Nick Malliaras deftly handled Rice’s pressure, which is no easy task.

“We knew we weren’t a 2-4 team,” said Kuligoski, of the now 3-4 Eagles. “We’re still missing Nick. When he returns, you’ll see the real Sandburg.”

What can’t be missed is the presence of Malek Harris, who provided 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers. The 6-6, 195-pound sophomore has “star” written all over him, right to the tips of his massive wingspan.

Harris can produce points from the perimeter and paint, can handle the ball and crash the boards.

He has mad skills.

Once he bulks up, watch out.

“He’s going to be something special,” Allen said of his super soph.

Sandburg fans hope the same can be said of their team the rest of the season.

When Lehnerer returns, the Eagles will have four legitimate scoring options in Kulogoski, Payonk and Harris. Dace can also provide some offensive pop. He contributed nine points on Tuesday.

Allen hopes his team can build on the win and possibly reel off a little streak.

First order of business is to get on the positive side of the win-loss ledger.

“We’re slowly getting better, getting healthy,” said Allen, whose squad will host Joliet Central on Friday. “I told the kids, high school basketball is a marathon, not a sprint,”

Precisely.