New Trier’s offense hummed at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. The No. 12 Trevians made open three-pointers and sliced up defenses with backdoor cuts en route to beating Joliet West and Bloom by a combined 60 points.
Only top-ranked Curie was able to handle New Trier, eking out a five-point victory in the semifinals.
It was a different story Friday in Northbrook. Glenbrook North’s defense and the general familiarity between the teams resulted in a 38-34 victory for the Spartans.
‘‘We know all those guys,’’ Glenbrook North point guard Josh Fridman said. ‘‘It’s so competitive. You definitely play harder against your friends. We played them three times last year, and they were all low-scoring. We sort of know what they are trying to do, and they know what we are trying to do.’’
Nine of the 10 starters in the game play for Mike Weinstein’s Fundamental U club program.
‘‘That definitely adds to the rivalry with New Trier,’’ Spartans coach Quin Hayes said. ‘‘It’s fun for them. Both teams fight and played hard.’’
Fridman led Glenbrook North (15-2, 5-0 CSL South) with 17 points, and senior Owen Giannoulias added nine points, six rebounds and three steals.
Giannoulias, a 6-foot guard, is the Spartans’ leading rebounder.
‘‘That’s just wanting it more,’’ Giannoulias said. ‘‘It’s hustle, telling yourself you are going to go get that ball.’’
The teams combined for only 24 points and seven field goals in the second half.
‘‘We tried to take them out of what they do because they run some good stuff,’’ Hayes said. ‘‘We did a good job defensively, but we can still get better.’’
Senior Sam Lappin, Glenbrook North’s leading scorer, was injured in the first half and didn’t return.
‘‘We knew the juniors had to step up at that point,’’ Giannoulias said. ‘‘Hopefully [Lappin] will be back soon. Those are big shoes to fill.’’
Senior Ian Brown led New Trier (15-3, 3-1) with 13 points, and Logan Feller added four points and 11 rebounds.
The Spartans were ranked in the preseason but fell out after a loss to Prospect. They advanced to the title game of the Wheeling Hardwood Classic and lost to Neuqua Valley.
‘‘This is a nice rebound from Wheeling,’’ Hayes said. ‘‘We gave that one away, and this was a big game, seeing how we would respond from that heartbreaking loss. I’m happy with where we are at, but I don’t know what’s going on with Sam’s injury.’’
The victory left Glenbrook North as the only unbeaten team in CSL South play. The Spartans have a tough week ahead, with games against Loyola on Saturday, Wheaton Academy on Tuesday and rival Glenbrook South on Friday.
‘‘This feels good after losing in the championship at Wheeling,’’ Fridman said. ‘‘We put in some stuff after that which helped in the game today. This will give us some momentum for the second half of the season.’’
