Brother Rice’s Charlie Wizgird has been a consistent scoring threat and starting guard all season.
But for the 6-2 senior, the points are well, gravy.
He’s looking to do all the little things, and if the points are there, great.
Putting up an impressive stat line of 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, Wizgird led Brother Rice past host Lincoln-Way Central 50-40 on Feb. 27 to win a Class 4A regional championship.
“I definitely think those little things can be more important than points a lot of the time,” Wizgird said. “It’s a great feeling, especially when someone will say postgame, ‘All the little things you did are great!’ instead of harping on points. I definitely take pride in those little things that help the team out and make big plays.”
Seniors Joe Niego (12 points, five rebounds) and Zach Grabowski (10 points, six rebounds) and junior Adam McBrearty (nine points, four rebounds) also starred for the Crusaders.
Br. Rice (23-10) advanced to play top-seed Homewood-Flossmoor (27-3) on March 3 in a Joliet West Sectional semifinal.
Wizgird is one of a handful of returning players off last season’s Class 3A state runner-up squad.
The group didn’t see much court time behind a senior-dominated rotation. So coming into this year, Wizgird and his teammates were in prove-it mode with so many doubters about the Crusaders’ potential, especially bumping up to Class 4A.
“It’s a great feeling,” Wizgird said. “It helped push us for the run we want to make. It gives us that momentum that we needed. It’s a great feeling for this night, but we’ll get right back to work.”
Wizgird helped Rice pull away with a little things-type of third quarter.
He converted a three-point play when he drew contact on a cut across the lane and then swooped in for a steal in the passing lanes.
On the fast break, he found Grabowski for an alley-oop lay-up as Rice went up 35-26.
It was Rice’s fourth straight regional championship.
Wizgird, Grabowski, Niego, J.J. Manos and Quinn Nolan are all rotation players who’ve embraced far bigger roles this season as seniors.
Grabowski said the team as a whole has enjoyed trying to prove any potential doubters wrong.
“Before the season, everyone had no expectations for us,” Grabowski said. “Everyone thought we wouldn’t be successful. We wouldn’t be good. Look where we are right now.”
The team’s scoring balance has been a huge ingredient in the Crusaders’ success all season.
Without one dominant go-to scorer, Brother Rice is spreading the wealth across the entire lineup.
“We had Marcos (Gonzales) last year,” Grabowski said. “This year, it’s really on teamwork and trusting each other. That’s what makes us different. We trust each other more. It gives us an edge against our opponents.”
“It’s a lot of pressure on the guys,” coach Rick Romeli said. “We bring back a new group of guys. They’ve really come together since Christmas. We had some injuries, but got back into a little groove. The Chicago Catholic League prepared us for these environments and the type of games we can get into.”
Marist 82, Rich 54: Stephen Brown had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds as the RedHawks (28-5) beat the hosts in a Class 4A regional final on Feb. 27. Marist advanced to play Lockport in a Joliet West Sectional semifinal on March 4.
De La Salle 73, Schurz 64: The Meteors (17-16) knocked off the hosts to win a Class 3A regional title. They advance to their own sectional and will face King on March 4.