Boys Basketball: Evergreen's Season Ends as JCA Shifts into High Gear

The Hot Read: Monday night’s T.F. North Regional matchup turned into a game of streaks. Joliet Catholic went on a 12-0 run to take a 26-14 lead, but Evergreen Park roared back with a 13-3 run of its own to draw within a basket at 39-37. The Hillmen, using a fast-break attack, proved too much and stamped out the Mustangs' comeback attempt with a 13-2 run to go up 52-41 en route to the 63-52 victory that ended Evergreen’s season.

Patch MVP: Breion Tucker put down 19 points to lead all scorers for Joliet Catholic. He added four rebounds and two steals.

Key Stats: JCA outrebounded the Mustangs 29-24. Despite being just 8-of-20 from the free-throw line, JCA managed to sink two three-pointers. Evergreen made one three-pointer.

Evergreen Park’s Leaders: Marcus Kemp (12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks), Brian Townsend Jr. (8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Brandon White (6 points).

Joliet Catholic’s Leaders: Breion Tucker (19 points, 4 rebounds), Chris Harris (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Brequan Tucker (14 points, 2 assists). 

Quotable: Evergreen Park coach Bruce Scaduto on his team's outlook for next season: "We have a lot of younger kids that are pretty good. Our lower levels did well. Come summer, we'll get them some playing time. It's promising for the next couple years. Our sophomores are really good, and we brought up a freshman for (Monday’s) game."

What's Next: Evergreen Park has finished its season. Joliet Catholic will face Carver Military Academy in the T.F. North Regional semifnals on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Team Records: Joliet Catholic improves to 10-15. Evergreen Park finishes the season at 5-24.