Boys Hoops: St. Rita hands Brother Rice first loss
By Steve Millar
Correspondent
St. Rita came into this season with plenty of hype, boasting a stacked roster led by the top three junior recruits in the state.
Three early losses may have left some people questioning whether the Mustangs are legit, but junior forward Morez Johnson said he and his teammates are ready to prove the naysayers wrong.
St. Rita got a much-needed big win over Catholic League Blue rival Brother Rice on Dec. 9. The Mustangs got 19 points from Nojus Indrusaitis and pulled through with a 57-51 road win over the Crusaders in front of a large crowd in Mount Greenwood.
“People were saying we’re overrated and we’re waking them back up,” Johnson said. “Now we’ve got to keep it going.”
Johnson, an Illinois recruit, had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Mustangs (4-3, 2-0). Junior center James Brown finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Homewood-Flossmoor transfer Nashawn Holmes added eight points.
Niagara recruit Ahmad Henderson poured in 28 points for Brother Rice (9-1, 2-1). Jimmy Navarette scored eight points off the bench and Zavier Fitch chipped in seven points.
The game was tied 29-29 at halftime, but Johnson came out on a mission in the second half. He scored all seven of his teams’ points during a 7-2 third quarter-opening surge.
“It just happened that way,” Johnson said. “It changed the momentum of the game. We were able to build our lead.”
The Crusaders battled back to tie it 40-40 after three quarters and took a 43-40 lead on Henderson’s 3-pointer early in the fourth.
St. Rita answered with the next eight points, including five from Indrusaitis, a transfer from Lemont.
The game’s biggest momentum swing came when Brother Rice, trailing 49-45, missed five shots on one possession. The Mustangs then went the other way and Brown threw down a huge alley-oop dunk off a pass from Jordan Chandler.
“We were unable to get the rebound on the possession before, so it was good we were able to get out in transition and make a play,” Brown said. “I feel like that’s where we’re most dangerous as a team, in transition, with the size and athleticism we have on the wings playing with me and Morez.
“That’s our greatest strength as a team and I’m glad we were able to utilize it.”
Brown hit four free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Brown was also impressed with how Indrusaitis performed in his first big Catholic League road game.
“I see him embrace it a lot,” Brown said. “Nojus is a great player. He’s got incredible talent. He knows how to score the ball. I’m glad to see him thriving in this type of environment. It’s really not easy coming on the road in the Catholic League and getting a win so I’m really happy to see him thriving.”
Despite the defeat, Henderson put on a show against a team filled with high-major recruits.
“There’s definitely a lot of motivation for me playing against guys like that,” Henderson said. “I’ve been kind of doubted my whole life. It’s a big motivator for me.”
Brother Rice responded from its first loss with a big 50-46 win over Bloom (5-2) on Dec. 11 at the Team Rose Shootout at Mount Carmel.
Henderson led again with 14 points, including two free throws with nine seconds left to seal the victory.
Fitch scored eight points, while Nick Niego, Tre Dowdell and Khalil Ross each had six points.
The Crusaders stepped up huge defensively down the stretch to hold despite scoring only two points — on Henderson’s free throws — in the entire fourth quarter. Bloom managed just six points in the quarter.
“It’s a really big win after our first loss,” Brother Rice coach Conte Stamas said. “That was a big game for us Friday night. We gave the guys Saturday off and just prepped for this game [Sunday] morning. It really was big to bounce right back.”
Local News
Here’s a sure sign of spring
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Hi everyone. How have you been surviving January? This is one month I always hope flies by. If the sun is out, the temperatures are, or feel like they are in the subzero range. If it’s cloudy, which is most…
Justice swears in new police officer
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The Justice Village Board approved the recommendation of the Justice Fire and Police Commission to hire Police Officer Kady Sassenger at its January 10 meeting. Her move from the Coal City Police Department to Justice is considered a lateral move, which means the officer transfers from one department to another…
Medeisis promoted to fire battalion chief in Bridgeview
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The Bridgeview Fire Department has a new battalion chief. Michael Medeisis, 55, was promoted from the rank of lieutenant at the Jan. 5 meeting of the Bridgeview Village Board. “Hey, hot diggity dog, we’ve got a great guy (promoted),” village Trustee Michael Pticek said. Trustee James Cecott said the promotion…
Retired village employee appointed to Lyons ZBA
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The Karasek family has a long history of working for the village of Lyons dating back decades. And that history is getting a new chapter. Steven Karasek, 60, who two years ago retired after 36 years in the public works department, has been appointed by Mayor Christopher Getty to serve…
Walker teacher Eva Manzke honored by farm bureau
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan School District 104 teacher Eva Manzke was recently honored by the Cook County Farm Bureau for her work with teaching students about agriculture. Students at Walker Elementary in Bedford Park, and Manzke herself were surprised when Principal Amanda Venegonia said they were gathered to honor Manzke, as she had been…
Moraine Valley’s Tom Diaz earns All-Conference honors
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Tom Diaz is a freshman at Moraine Valley Community College, and is making big strides with their cross country team. Diaz is also a 2021 graduate of Argo Community High School, and is the first Argonaut to earn All Region honors while pursuing his cross country career. MVCC’s Men’s an&…
Summit native marks decade with the Harlem Globetrotters
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Saul White Jr., better known as Flip White to basketball fans, has been with the famed Harlem Globetrotters for just over 10 years, and has no intention of stopping the entertainment he provides for his fans. White, who grew up in Summit, attended Wharton School and Graves Junior High (now…
A heavenly sound
Spread the love In what is arguably the most ornate and beautiful house of worship on the Southwest Side—St. Joseph Church in Back of the Yards–the Polonijna Orkiestra Chicago played liturgical music selections last Sunday. Founded in 2011, the orchestra is designed to teach young musicians Polish music and culture. St. Joseph parishioner Konrad Pawelek…
Crime images spark outrage in Gage Park
Spread the loveRobbed at gunpoint in his own garage By Tim Hadac Home-security camera images of a 48-year-old Gage Park man being robbed at gunpoint in his own garage outraged a number of Southwest Siders this week. Images showed the man driving his car down the alley in the 5500 block of South Richmond at…
Here’s the skinny: Trimmed-down Lawrence helps Oak Lawn top Evergreen
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Oak Lawn senior basketball player Davion Lawrence is 45 pounds lighter than he was last season, but insists his eating habits are the same. He has, however, changed up his training habits. Heading into football last fall, Lawrence and a few fellow seniors wanted to get in the…
Neighbors
Capitol Briefs: Senate advances elections bill, measure targeting ‘predatory’ lending
By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would put more controls on certain kinds of high-cost loans to small businesses cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday. Senate Bill 2234, known as the Small Business Financial Transparency Act, targets a relatively new kind of nontraditional lender in the credit…
Law enforcement community honors fallen officers at Illinois Capitol
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Six fallen police officers were honored at an annual memorial service outside the State Capitol Thursday. The Illinois Police Officers Memorial occurs annually on the first Thursday of May to honor officers who died in the line of duty and to support their families. “No one…
Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions
By JERRY NOWICKI HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot. It’s a move that caused minority party…
After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that sought to wipe away the last vestiges of racial discrimination and redlining in America’s home mortgage industry. The idea was simple. By requiring lenders – primarily banks – to make…
Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air
Capitol News Illinois announced today it will produce the long-running “Illinois Lawmakers” program this spring, in partnership with longtime host and producer Jak Tichenor. “This new partnership is absolutely critical to providing Illinois residents with reliable, independent, in-depth, up to date coverage from the Illinois Capitol after many newspapers and broadcasters shuttered their Statehouse bureaus over…
Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated
By ANDREW ADAMS & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board…
Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans
By PETER HANCOCK and JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…