DeKALB – The DeKalb boys basketball team lost a tight game to South Elgin in the Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic, 65-59.
Turnovers plagued DeKalb (6-4) early, committing 11 in the first half. The Barbs seemed disoriented at times when it came to defensive assignments. Barbs coach Al Biancalana called timeouts within 30 seconds of one another on back-to-back Storm possessions and appeared frustrated with his team’s execution.
“We go silent on offense for too long of stretches,” Biancalana said. “We don’t have everybody on the same page. That’s something that when you play teams at this level is going to hurt you. ... We had to burn some timeouts because we didn’t want to let the game get away from us. ... We’d been giving heavy minutes to guys who haven’t been producing. I thought that changed a little bit tonight, and it is definitely going to change tomorrow.”
The Barbs came back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to tie it.
Isaiah Youngquist had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Barbs.
However, the Storm (8-3) made the most of every opportunity the Barbs gave them inside of two minutes in the fourth. They hit a couple of 3-pointers and made their free throws down the stretch, managing time of possession in the process.
“I thought that [Drake] Montgomery and the guys that were in the game at the end did a good job of taking care of the ball,” Storm coach Brett Johnson said. “When we let them back into the game, it was because we didn’t guard the way that we were supposed to guard. ... I always tell the kids to keep shooting. We didn’t shoot well last night. Tonight, I thought we shot the ball better, especially late in the game, when it matters the most.”
By the numbers: DeKalb scored
67 percent of its points in the paint. However, it shot a mere 3 for 14 from 3-point range (21.4 percent).
Beyond the stats: For the second game in a row, the Barbs hit a buzzer beater at the end of the first half to cut a lead down to two points.
They said it: “We have to find five guys that can feel comfortable playing heavy minutes and still execute,” Biancalana said.
Up next: As the Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic concludes Saturday, the Barbs will play Ridgewood at 3:15 p.m. South Elgin will play West Chicago at 4:30 p.m.