The St. Gilbert Rebels 8th grade boys Blue team put on a dazzling display Tuesday in Libertyville, beating the Knights of St. Joseph 53-38. With the win, St. Gilberts improved to 11-1 (5-1 in conference). St. Joe’s fell to 4-5 (3-3). Going into the game, coach Rob Gillespie noted, “The key to winning tonight’s game is constant defense and good execution on offense.” His team did not disappoint.
Rhett W got the Rebels to a hot start with 8 first quarter points. Cayden W contributed 6 points in the first quarter to put the Rebels up 18-9. They extended their lead to 26-14 into the break. Their man to man defense was difficult for the hosts to handle.
The second half told a different story. St. Joe’s found their rythem when Thomas Hunt hit multiple three pointers and Juan Ledezma blew through the St. Gilbert’s press to add 6 points. Two of those points came from a no-look pass from Zack McGargill. This started an 8-2 run for the Knights which featured a 3 point play from Thomas Hunt when he was fouled on a 10 foot baseline jumper. McGargill swished a 3 pointer and Luke Nichol had a steal. Ben Hunt had the play of the night for the Knights when he nimbly knifed through the Rebel defense with a reverse layup with 2:03 to play. After the game, an optimistic St. Joseph coach Nichol commented, “We passed well and defended well tonight.”
But in the end, the Rebels came through to seal the win. Jacob C hit a 3 pointer 1:42 left in the game. He led the Rebels with 15 points. With 1:34 to play, he found his teammate, Matt L, with a devastating bounce pass and layup to cap off a great night for the Rebels. The only thing that could have improved the night for St. Gilbert would have been an appearance from Libertyville native and Karaoke singer, Ms. Fout. Coach Rob Gillespie commented, “We played hard and executed. We defended well and got stops when needed.”