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WOODSTOCK – Woodstock's Evan Bridges walked up to coach Al Baker in a pivotal moment against Woodstock North in the fourth quarter on Friday and offered his own coaching advice.
“With about five minutes, he came over and pointed out how the defense was rotating based on how we had our guys positioned,” Baker said. “He made a suggestion that we switch spots with two of our guys.”
Bridge’s instincts were spot on, as the sophomore broke free atop the key for a 3-pointer to give the Blue Streaks a lead with five minutes remaining. On the next offensive chance, the Thunder collapsed on Bridges, who audibled and found Mikey Gardner in the corner for back-to-back 3s.
“(Bridges) was probably the player of the game, but he might have been the coach of the game, too,” Baker said. “Smart player in addition to shooting the ball as well as he is right now.”
Woodstock never trailed again in a 52-47 Kishwaukee River Conference victory at James M. Shipley gymnasium, sweeping the regular season series.
The crosstown rivals found out earlier in the day that they will play each other for a third time on Feb. 27 in the opening round of the Class 3A Richmond-Burton Regional.
The 5-foot-8 Bridges led the Streaks (11-16, 6-5 KRC) with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting and made a game-high six 3-pointers. He credited his teammates for finding him in the fourth.
“I thought we started moving the ball around a lot better in the second half,” said Bridges, who had three 3s in the fourth. “We just made some adjustments, and we were able to find the open guy.
“It feels good to win (on senior night) for all of the seniors."
The teams were tied 28-all at halftime and at 36 after the third quarter. North, paced by 22 points and 16 rebounds from 6-foot-3 junior guard Collin Mergl, was forced to foul down the stretch.
Each time, the Streaks made sure to get the ball to Bridges, who helped seal the win with a pair of free throws. Mikey Gardner had nine points on three 3s, and Josh Turner (six rebounds) and Matt Shook added six points apiece.
“We’re going to be playing them again at regionals, so we had to come out and show them that we can beat them again,” said senior Justin Leith, who scored seven points with five rebounds. “It’s senior night, last home game, so I wanted to leave it all out there and get every loose ball.”
Mergl made a long 3-pointer in the final seconds to finish the scoring for the Thunder (5-18, 2-8 KRC). Zach Ramirez had seven points and six rebounds in the loss, Ryan Medina had six, and Vic Ortiz was held to five points.
“I think we didn’t take care of the ball on a few possessions when we had the lead in the fourth,” North coach Steve Ryan said. “They hit some big shots, and we just had some breakdowns in our offensive and defensive sets that we were running.”
UNSUNG HERO
Justin Leith, Woodstock, sr., F
Leith, a 6-foot-3 forward, ripped down five rebounds, all in the second half, and scored seven points with a 3-pointer.
THE NUMBER
10: 3-pointers for Woodstock
AND ANOTHER THING…
Woodstock's all-time leading scorer, Dan Hill, gave the Blue Streaks a pre-game speech to motivate them before the crosstown classic. "He talked about the importance of playing your best basketball at tournament time, and we feel like that's where were at right now," Streaks coach Al Baker said.
Woodstock 52, Woodstock North 47
Woodstock North 13 15 8 11 – 47
Woodstock 12 16 8 16 – 52
WOODSTOCK NORTH (47)
Mergl 10 1-1 22, Schaffter 1 0-0 3, Haynes 1 0-0 2, Ortiz 2 1-2 5, Medina 3 0-0 6, Patenaude 0 2-2 2, Ramirez 3 1-3 7. Totals: 20 5-8 47.
WOODSTOCK (52)
Bridges 7 2-2 22, Shook 2 2-2 6, Turner 3 0-0 6, Leith 3 0-0 7, Gardner 3 0-0 9, Anderson Jr. 1 0-0 2. Totals: 19 4-4 52.
3-point goals: Woodstock North 2 (Schaffter, Mergl), Woodstock 10 (Bridges 6, Gardner 3, Leith). Total fouls: Woodstock, Woodstock North 11.