Boys basketball: Fenton holds off Glenbard South, keeps perfect UEC record intact

BENSENVILLE – As the last team unbeaten in Upstate Eight play, Fenton surely knows every conference opponent is coming for it.

That includes Glenbard South, which looked like it had the potential for an upset a couple of times Tuesday in Bensenville. But the Bison held on and kept that perfect conference record with a 49-43 victory.

“The UEC’s tough,” Bison coach Chaz Taft said. “Every time. It’s tough on the road. We don’t take anybody lightly. We know who we have in front of us. What we try to do is keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s just winning.”

Fenton (20-3, 11-0) got off to a sluggish start in the first quarter, and Masroor Sahi took advantage by establishing his 3-point shot, especially from the corner. He made three 3s in that opening frame to help give Glenbard South (13-9, 7-4) a 14-10 lead after the first eight minutes.

The Bison dug deeply on both ends to make sure the second quarter would be a different story. They came out with more energy and were led by a combined five 3s from Alejandro Diaz and Xavier Gonzalez. It proved to be a particularly productive quarter for Gonzalez, who scored 11 of his 13 points, all of which came in the first half.

Showcasing a lockdown defense that forced the Raiders into long, empty offensive possessions, recovered loose balls and prevented the ball from going out of bounds, the Bison enjoyed a 19-5 scoring advantage to take a 10-point halftime lead.

Glenbard South wouldn’t concede though. Led by two more 3s from Sahi and a four-point play by PJ Lehr, they cut the Bison’s lead to 39-37 at the end of the third quarter. That meant Fenton had to weather one more storm.

“We just gotta get more ball speed on offense,” Taft said when asked what he told his team going into the fourth. “We weren’t really moving the ball. The ball was sticking too much. If we just kept getting the ball, moving it two passes out of the paint, ball speed, we’re gonna get our open shots.”

Diaz proved to be the player to bring Fenton home as he made his team’s only two field goals as well as one free throw in the final quarter to round out his game-high 19 points. Also contributing to the late push was Brandon Block with four free throws.

“No pressure really,” Diaz said about the rest of the season. “I think we just did good. We just showed that we can compete in close games and keep our cool, so I think we’re good.”

Sahi’s 3-point outburst gave him 18 points and made him the only Raider to score in double figures.