Adoni Vassilakis won’t have to hear about it.
That’s because the senior guard helped Marist defeat some old friends.
Stephen Brown scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Vassilakis did his part with eight points, six rebounds and six assists. They helped the RedHawks roll to a 59-33 victory over Lockport on March 4 in the second semifinal of the Class 4A Joliet West Sectional.
Vassilakis knows Lockport and what the Porters can do. He grew up watching his four older brothers all play basketball there.
But Vassilakis decided that Marist was the place for him. Against a team and players he knows well, he showed why.
“This game meant everything,” Vassilakis said. “I had to get that weight off my shoulders. I couldn’t lose, or I’d hear it for the rest of my life.”
He won’t have to hear as he and the RedHawks jumped out to a big lead right away. Vassilakis scored on a short shot with 4:45 left in the first quarter for a 10-0 lead. Neither team scored for the rest of the quarter as Lockport (27-6) missed 10 shots and made four turnovers.
Vassilakis helped clamp down on defense to limit the Porter junior twin duo of Nedas Venckus (eight points, seven rebounds) and Nojus Venckus (six points).
“I work out with the twins all summer, so I know them pretty well,” Vassilakis said of the Venckus’. “I knew their tendencies, and that helped me when I was guarding them.”
What also helped was having Brown, who, at 6-foot-7, is three inches taller than the Porters’ tallest starter. Brown, who is headed to North Carolina State for football, scored 11 of Marist’s first 24 points. His layup made it 24-1 with 3;16 left in the second quarter.
“We knew we had to stop their two twins,” Brown said. “That was their engine, so we had to shut them down. We also knew they were smaller, and I had that advantage.
“We haven’t won a sectional championship in 45 years, so that’s what we want this season.”
After starting 0-of-16 from the field, Lockport finally hit a 3-pointer for its first basket with 2:18 left in the second quarter. It was 30-9 at halftime. Playing in their first sectional in 15 years, the Porters made eight shots in the third quarter and closed within 41-28 after three. But that was as close as it got.
Seniors TJ Tate and Charles Barnes Jr. (10 rebounds) added seven points apiece for the RedHawks.
“We have high-character kids that we were going to do this one for Adoni,” Marist coach Brian Hynes said. “You saw how hard they played that first half.
“We haven’t won a sectional since 1981, and these guys take it personally. I’ve never seen my kids play that hard. It was unbelievable.”
“This was awesome,” Vassilakis said. “I think we played a great game. Lockport is still a good team.
“Our size just outmatched them. You can’t teach that.”