Deerfield knocks off top seed Downers Grove North in Wheeling Hardwood Classic semis

WHEELING – Downers Grove North came to the Wheeling Hardwood Classic with high hopes. The Trojans had just one loss and were the top seed in the tournament.

Unfortunately, the Trojans ran into a spirited Deerfield squad led by Jake Pollack on Friday night. The junior proved to be a bit too much as Deerfield stunned Downers North 44-33 in the semifinals.

“Pollack had a nice night and he was the best player in the floor,” Downers Grove North coach Jim Thomas said. “We just structurally were just a little off.”

Deerfield will be making its first appearance in the tournament finals since 2009, when the Warriors won it all. They will meet Fremd in the finals at 8:45 p.m. Saturday.

Downers Grove North will play for third place at 7:15 p.m. Saturday against Glenbrook North.

Deerfield (11-3), which was seeded fourth, came out smoking hot, and Pollack showed that analytics don’t mean a thing.

Pollack, who finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, was deadly at the top of the key, rising up his 6-foot-9 frame and dropping in two-pointers. That, along with the play of Evan Nagler (9 points), enabled the Warriors to build a 14-3 lead after one quarter.

Downers North finally began to find their mark. The Trojans began spreading the floor and found some open shots as they pulled to within 18-15 on a basket by Colin Doyle.

But Pollack went right back to work from the same place. He hit four free throws and a basket to close out the half as Deerfield led 24-15.

Downers North (9-2) battled back to start the second half. A basket by Bobby Grganto, a three-pointer by Colin Jacobs, and a pair of free throws by Nolan Hurter had the Trojans within 26-22 with 5:23 left in the third quarter.

Then a cold spell hit Downers North. And it wasn’t a short one.

The Trojans went scoreless for the next 9:05. During that span they missed 7 three-pointers, a layup and turned the ball over five times.

Meanwhile, Deerfield regained its footing. The Warriors went back to Pollack along with Aaron Pelts (7 points) to run off 9 unanswered points and open up a 35-22 advantage with 4:29 to play.

“That is happening with our team right now,” Thomas said. “There were some gaps on how we were layering our offense.”

Downers North made a last charge on consecutive three-pointers by Hurter and Crowley to cut the deficit to 35-28 with 3:39 left. But Deerfield then ran off six unanswered to put the game away.

Hurter led Downers North with 13 points. Grganto had eight points and Crowley finished with six points.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241227/boys-basketball/boys-basketball-deerfield-upsets-top-seed-downers-grove-north-in-hardwood-classic-semifinals/