Boys Basketball: Sandburg outlasts Lincoln-Way East
By Mike Fitzgerald For Sun-Times Media January 4, 2013 11:38PM
Updated: February 7, 2013 6:45AM
Malek Harris scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his third game back Friday night as host Sandburg defeated Lincoln-Way East 49-43 in a SouthWest Suburban Blue contest.
“He makes a difference for us. We struggled without him,” Eagles coach Todd Allen said of Harris, a 6-foot-7 junior forward who missed the first half of the season for undisclosed reasons. “He brings some experience. He gives us some stability. He makes other guys on the floor that much better.”
Harris scored 16 points in the first half, but the Eagles (2-12, 1-3) trailed the Griffins (6-6, 0-4) 23-22 at intermission. East guard Mike Moss scored 18 points in the half, all coming on six three-pointers.
Sandburg went ahead 27-25 on a basket by Niko Cahue with 6:16 to play in the third quarter. The Eagles led 37-35 after three, and opened a 44-38 lead with 4:50 to play in the fourth quarter.
Moss was held to just two shots in the second half, thanks to the defensive effort of Harris.
“Basically, he was on my side. We showed on him,” Harris said. “We extended the zone, and I tried to prevent him from facing up so he could shoot the ball.”
Harris scored just six points in the second half, but Cahue came to the rescue by scoring 12 of his 14 points in the half.
For East, it was a case of missed opportunities.
“We had a lot of good looks in this ballgame that did not fall for us,” Griffins coach Rich Kolimas said.
