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LOMBARD – How big is the Glenbard Eastfirst-quarter vs. Glenbard South rivalry game?
It depends on who you ask.
If you asked the Rams (5-3, 4-0) following their 56-41 conference victory over the Raiders (2-6, 1-3) on Friday night, they would have told you that “The Battle of the Glenbards” is their game of the year.
“This is our game to get everyone to come out,” said junior guard Danny Snyder. “It means a lot to everyone. These are the games you look forward to every season.”
That energy was apparent from the jump, as the Raiders faithful traveled well and made themselves heard early and often, despite Glenbard East leaping out to a 17-9 first-quarter lead.
“Everyone’s naturally going to play with extra juice,” said Rams coach Eric Kelly. “Everyone’s gonna play with more energy, that’s on both sides. We just happened to make some shots there in the first half.
“We have some guys that can really put the ball in the hole, with Danny Snyder and Michael Nee,” added Kelly.
Nee led the way for Glenbard East, with 13 points buoyed by 3 three-point shots.
“He’s the best player in the Upstate Eight, there’s no question about that,” said Kelly about his standout guard, who also served as the school’s starting quarterback on the gridiron. “If you ask any coach in the conference, they’d tell you that.”
However, as the gym got loud, the Raiders were defiant.
“We play them three times every year. I don’t know … it is what it is,” said Glenbard South coach Jason Mead. “To me? It’s another game. It’s another game we want to win.”
Undeterred by the early Rams’ onslaught, the Raiders made a run throughout the second quarter, riding the hot hand of sophomore guard Sean Reese.
“You always have to know where he is at all times,” said Nee, on guarding Reese. “You can’t lose him. We lost him in transition a couple times there.”
Reese had the visiting bleachers rocking as he connected from long range on three consecutive trips down the floor, helping to cut a double-digit Rams’ lead to four points.
“We started losing shooters in the zone,” said Kelly. “That’s how they got within four.”
The Rams opened the second half with a Nee three-pointer before upping the intensity with a full-court defense that forced the Raiders into a few miscues as Glenbard East pushed their advantage back out to double digits.
“We started locking down more defensively and getting to those shooters,” said Kelly. “Sam Walton played a really good third quarter,” added Kelly, referring to his junior center.
Nee stepped up when the moment mattered the most. He struck from long range once again as the fourth quarter began, pushing the lead to 14 and seemingly shutting the door on this back-and-forth chapter of the Rams/Raiders rivalry.
So how big is this rivalry game? Again, it depends on who you ask.
“As a rivalry, no team is gonna back down,” said Nee, victoriously.
“The kids want to win, but they want to win every game,” said Mead, on the losing end this time. “So, it’s another conference game.”
The stage is surely set for another full house when these two teams meet again in Glen Ellyn come early February.
Girls game
Brooklynn Moore and Kaitlin Erickson led the Raiders (11-1, 5-0) as they came out on top, continuing their impressive start to the season with a 44-26 win over the Rams (7-5, 4-1).
“They shot the ball really well tonight,” said Glenbard East coach Nicole Miller. “They’re a good shooting team. They’re just fundamentally sound. They have an inside presence and an outside presence, so it’s really tough to guard them.”
Moore and Erickson gave the Rams fits as they combined for 19 points as they proved difficult to stop once they found a rhythm with that inside-outside attack.
“Caitlin Erickson hit a couple threes,” said Raiders coach Eric Daca. “[And] Brooklyn is always a force.”
But the Glenbard South coach was complimentary of the Rams’ defensive effort.
“We had a hard time getting the offense going, ” added Daca. “Glenbard East came at us aggressively, they played tight. We couldn’t really get into any offensive rhythm. It helped that we had a couple people knock down shots.”
Another Nee was knocking down long-range shots as Glenbard East freshman guard Oliva Nee gave the Raiders their biggest headache of the evening, knocking down 3 three-pointers of her own, on her way to an 11-point outing.
“She’s just getting used to varsity level, finding her own and improving a lot,” said Miller.
Both the Raiders and the Rams will head to holiday tournaments over the weekend before continuing conference play in January.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20241220/boys-basketball/basketball-glenbard-east-boys-glenbard-south-girls-stay-perfect-in-upstate-eight/