Boys Basketball: Caden Phillips crashing the boards for Glenbard West

Caden Phillips describes rebounding as a two-part process.

"Know where your man is," said Glenbard West's 6-foot-6 junior, "and focus on getting the ball. Focus on getting that orange thing in your hands. You have to want it."

Phillips should know.

Especially after the game he just put up.

He scored 23 points, but even more impressively, he pulled down 20 rebounds in Glenbard West's big 69-57 win over previously unbeaten Downers Grove North on Friday in Glen Ellyn.

Phillips scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. Glenbard West (3-3, 1-1 West Suburban Silver) scored 28 points in the quarter to rally from a seven-point second-half deficit.

"[Twenty rebounds], that's an amazing number for a high school game," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder, noting that ex-Northwestern star John Shurna has the school record of 22 or 23.

Evan Taylor scored 24 points for Glenbard West, which bounced back from a bad loss to York the week before. The Hilltoppers have a tough game at projected Silver favorite Oak Park this Friday.

"We knew we had our work cut out for us," Phillips said. "We really bit down defensively and focused on stopping their two guards [Semaj Henderson and Eddie Boston]. They are very powerful players. It was a big win for us."

Phillips is one of four juniors who's started this season on a Glenbard West team.

He's relished reuniting on the court with Taylor, the Hilltoppers' talented junior wing. Phillips last got to play with Taylor for a full season in junior high, where they teamed up to win a conference championship.

"Some of us juniors haven't been able to play high school ball with Evan before," Phillips said. "He's a great basketball player. It's fun to play with him again."

Phillips did play varsity briefly last season during Glenbard West's football run, but he remained on the sophomore team the rest of the season. Phillips came back this year with a noticeably different look.

"He's much stronger," Hoder said. "He jumps well, he has good elevation. The Downers North game was a perfect game for him because there was a lot of action underneath the basket. Catching and facing up, that is really what he does best."

Phillips still needs to hone his moves around the basket with both hands, but Hoder has no doubt he can nail it down.

"So much of that is strength and balance," Hoder said. "He's a smart kid. When you have to tell him something he comprehends. It's just a matter of him gaining confidence and getting reps."

Phillips was caught a little off guard when he got wind of his rebound numbers Friday.

"I didn't think it was that many," Phillips said. "It was one of those games that I feel like I floated to the ball. We missed shots, I was underneath the basket and I jumped up and put them back quickly."

Hoder knows he can expect the Hilltoppers to consistently get double figure scoring from Taylor. Glenbard West runs sets designed for him.

"Caden, he has to create his own opportunies," Hoder said. "He played so hard [Friday]. It really worked out for him. [Downers Grove North] doesn't have a ton of size so matchup-wise it was a better matchup for him. In the future he has to do that playing against bigger kids."