Andrew Hill, IC Catholic Prep storm back in second half to beat Joliet Catholic at Aurora Central Shootout

AURORA – With a special group at his disposal, TJ Tyrrell is doing his best to savor every moment with his IC Catholic Prep boys basketball team.

So far, the Knights coach has had a lot to cherish.

Returning to the court Saturday after capturing the Christmas tournament title it co-hosted with Westmont on Dec. 30, ICCP used a strong second-half effort to defeat Joliet Catholic 72-51 as part of the first Jeremy Izzo Shootout hosted by Aurora Central Catholic.

Andrew Hill, one of five seniors in the starting lineup and eight on the roster, led the way with 26 points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals as the Knights (12-2) overcame a 12-point deficit in the first half.

“We were settling a lot (on offense) in the first quarter,” said Hill, who threw down a couple of dunks including an alley-oop in the fourth, “and our defensive intensity wasn’t there. In the second half, we got out in transition and started taking better shots. We’ve just got to continue what we’ve started here and try to get a high seed in the playoffs. I think we can compete with everyone, we have a chance against anyone we play.

“The main key is, all of us are good friends, we all have a great relationship and we have such a good time together. A lot of us seniors have grown up together and we are super close and that leads to chemistry on the court.”

Trailing 20-13 after the opening eight minutes and 30-29 at halftime, ICCP used a 17-0 third quarter spurt to seize control. Danny Fromelt, who also tallied five rebounds and two steals, had eight of his 14 points during that stretch. The Knights also began the final period with a 15-4 run.

“At halftime, we talked about the biggest thing lacking was our defensive effort,” Fromelt said. “We got on the boards, we started playing a lot faster and then more of our shots started falling. We played high intensity basketball.

“We never get mad at each other on the court. And when we are sharing the ball, Andrew is still going to have his 20-point game, but when we are playing as a team and moving the ball, that leads to better shots and stats for everyone.”

Matt Sloan and Makai Manley had seven points apiece while Jordan Hall and Luke Wojcik chipped in with six apiece for ICCP, which also won the Coal City Thanksgiving tournament at the start of the season.

“Obviously we had a sluggish start,” said Tyrrell, whose team’s only losses are to Brother Rice and Mount Carmel, “but give credit to Joliet Catholic, they were getting to the rim and using their size to their advantage. We had to make some adjustments defensively. Our guys battled back, especially in that second half. They were running the floor, getting the ball out quick and attacking our misses.

“This is a great group of kids who are bought in right now. And having senior leadership like this does make a difference.”

The Hilltoppers (5-5) were led by the 14 points of Jack Superits, who knocked down four three-pointers. Three of those came in the opening quarter as Joliet Catholic opened up a 20-8 advantage.

Elias Passehl and JJ Sterrett both tallied eight points and seven rebounds.

“We haven’t been able to put four quarters together right now,” JCA coach Adam DeGroot said. “That’s our Achilles heel. Our inability to run our offense in the second half really hurt us.

“We were competing a little short-handed tonight, we had some lineups out there that we haven’t had on the floor all year. But credit ICCP, they made some good adjustments and No. 32 (Hill) is a stud.”