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DeKALB – Marquise Bolden said the DeKalb basketball team is focused on repeating as champions in the 97th Annual Chuck Dayton Classic.
The senior guard needed only four minutes to get the Barbs off on the right foot.
Four of the five DeKalb starters played five minutes or less as the Barbs scored the first 32 points against Bulls Prep on Thursday in a 74-27 win.
“The last couple games we haven’t been playing our best,” said Bolden, who had six points, three steals and two assists in his four minutes on the floor. “We haven’t been playing at 100%. We didn’t play down to the competition. We played hard.”
The Barbs (6-4) reach the quarterfinals and will face Belvidere North at 1:30 p.m. Friday, with a second game later in the day against either Manley or Lincoln-Way West.
DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds said he was glad to see Bolden put a couple things together.
“We challenged him to be more of a playmaker and more disruptive defensively,” Reynolds said. “He pretty much did that today.”
DeKalb forced 30 turnovers in the game, leading to 45 points. Bulls Prep (3-12) scored its first field goal almost 10 minutes into the game.
Reynolds said on the whole he was pleased with the movement the Barbs had on offense, with the starters notching five assists in the first five minutes, including two for 6-foot-4 center Davon Grant.
“I think sharing the ball is the big thing,” Reynolds said. “Our passing hasn’t been great here in the beginning of the year. We haven’t been on time and on target. When that shapes up we have enough guys who can score the ball you don’t really have to force anything. For that whole first quarter that was pretty much the theme there.”
Grant and Bolden each played four minutes and Jackson Kees and Sean Reynolds each played five. The only starter to appear after the first five minutes was Justin O’Neal, who played nine minutes.
All but two players scored for the Barbs, and Grant was one of them.
That let other players step up. Alex Streb, Lukas Stubblefield and Brennen Evans each played a team-high 18 minutes. Evans missed his first two free throws then made his next 11, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds to lead the Barbs.
Evans went to middle school in DeKalb but went to Marian Catholic before transferring back for his senior year.
“Like a lot of guys that are new to a program, he’s trying to figure everything out,” Mike Reynolds said. “He’s done a great job. He’s a great teammate, plays hard, has a lot of energy. There’s a good chance he’ll be a good contributor going down the stretch because he’s physical, he’s aggressive and he’s proven he can make free throws, which is a big skill.”
The Barbs were the tournament’s No. 1 seed despite being just above .500 at the start of the tournament. All four of their losses are to ranked teams, including to nationally-ranked St. John Bosco (California).
Bolden said the Barbs are gunning for their second straight tournament title.
“We want to go back-to-back but there’s going to be a lot of adversity for us,” Bolden said. “Other teams want to take us down because it’s our house. But we have to take it. Win.”