Kukoc, Highland Park cap home finale with win vs. GBS

Senior scores 13 of game-high 20 points in fourth quarter

For the first three quarters, the Glenbrook South boys basketball team was beating Highland Park at its own game, winning a low-scoring defensive battle.

But, in the fourth quarter, Marin Kukoc and Highland Park took over and got it right.

Highland Park (16-10) beat Glenbrook South 39-32 Tuesday night at Highland Park in a Central Suburban League crossover game with Kukoc scoring 13 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter.

“I credit my teammates for how I played in the fourth quarter,” Kukoc said. “They know they can put the ball in my hands and they’ve got my back. And I’ve got their back as well.”

The Giants outscored the Titans 17-7 in the fourth quarter after trailing almost all of the first three quarters. Trailing 25-20 late in the third quarter, the Giants scored the next six points to take only their second lead of the game 26-25 behind a Tyler Max layup and four straight points from Kukoc.

“I think we were a little slow at the start,” Kukoc said. “So, in the fourth quarter, we began to accelerate the tempo a little bit. We also contested their outside shots better and forced a lot of turnovers defensively.”

However, four straight missed free throws by Kukoc kept the Titans hanging around and Glenbrook South (5-20) got a three from Corey McMahon and a coast-to-coast layup off a steal from Alex Garvey to turn a 30-27 deficit into a 32-30 lead with 2:19 to play.

After Kukoc finally hit his first free throw, he then buried a three-pointer to give Highland Park the lead for good at 34-32 with 1:48 to go. Kukoc followed by hitting 5 of his next 6 free throws to put the game away.

“I might have rushed my shots a bit earlier,” Kukoc said of his free-throw shooting. “But I kept doing what I could to get to the line. I have faith in my shot. And it slows the game down.”

The low-scoring, defensive struggle is the type of pace that Highland Park loves to play. But for the first three quarters, Glenbrook South played that style just as well, getting out to an 11-6 first-quarter lead. The Titans led almost the entire first three quarters and by as much as five points on four different occasions.

“We did a pretty decent job playing that style of ball,” Glenbrook South coach Scott Nemecek said. “But, in the end, we didn’t shoot the ball well and they rebounded better down the stretch. They were the more aggressive team. Give Highland Park credit.”

Probably the biggest reason the Highland Park deficit didn’t extend beyond five points was the play of Jonny Stempel, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter. He scored at crucial times throughout the game, giving Highland Park its only lead of the first half at 16-13 by scoring five straight points and then hitting back-to-back jumpers to keep its deficit at three points, 21-18 and 23-20.

“I just made sure I stayed aggressive throughout the game,” Stempel said. “I got some good looks and was hitting at key moments. We needed scoring from someone to keep us around, and I was able to be the one to provide it early on.”

With the win, Highland Park seniors such as Kukoc, Chris Kozloff, and Jordan Reisner ended their final home game on a positive note.

“It was a great to get a last chance to play and win here,” Kukoc said. “It doesn’t hit you that this is the last home game until after it’s over, and I was glad we could finish with a win.”

 Highland Park has won 11 of their last 13 games to head to its regional playoff game on a roll.

“We’ve just continued to get better throughout the season, collectively and as a unit,” Stempel said. “We’ve got a lot of momentum heading into our regional and we’re going to work to keep that momentum going.”
“We know our offense and we know each other’s strengths,” Kukoc said. “I think that’s been a big key to our improvement. If we get off to a good start, that will help us a long way in winning in the playoffs.”

No. 15 seed Highland Park will play No. 18 Carmel at 7:30 p.m. Monday night in the Class 4A Deerfield Regional quarterfinals.

Glenbrook South is the No. 15 seed in the Class 4A Niles West Sectional and will face off against No. 17 Lane Tech at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Glenbrook South Regional quarterfinals.

“We’ll have to be the more aggressive team,” Nemecek said of the biggest key to beating Lane Tech.

“They’re an aggressive team so if we can handle that, handle the ball well and take advantage of mismatches, we’ll have a chance.”

Tyler Max added four points for Highland Park, while Glenbrook South was led by
Corey McMahon (10 points), Ted Starck-King (6), Chris Bauer, Lucas Rytel and Casey Garvey (4 apiece).