Harvey Helps Joliet Catholic Off The Bench

JOLIET – In the aftermath of Friday night’s 49-32 nonconference boys basketball loss to Manteno, Joliet Catholic seniors Ryan Peter and Shakar Washington could have concentrated on the obvious negatives.

Missed layups. Missed shots.

Those two categories would have topped the Hilltoppers’ tough-time list, but Washington and Peter pointed to the valuable minutes delivered during the fourth quarter by junior guard Freddie Harvey.

“He’s easily our best practice player on the team,” Peter said. “He makes everyone so much better. He guards me every day in practice, and he’s the best man defender on the team. He makes a difference.”

“I’m definitely proud of him,” nodded Washington, who led JCA with 4 points in the final eight minutes vs. Manteno. “Freddie hasn’t played much this year, but he gave us a big spark in the fourth quarter.”

Peter, a 6-4 forward, paced JCA (1-11) with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Freshman guard Harold Davis added 8 points, Washington totaled 7 points and sophomore guard Keegan Tyrell contributed 3 assists.

Manteno (5-4), which never trailed, received a game-high 13 points with 6 rebounds and 3 steals from junior guard Brandon Crocket and 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists from senior guard Aarries Greer.

But the presence of 6-6 senior forward Trey Johnson also hampered the Hillmen. The opposite of his first name, Johnson scored 9 points while dominating around the rim (15 rebounds and 3 blocked shots).

“We had a tall task dealing with Nos. 30 (Johnson) and 22 (Crocket),” Joliet Catholic coach Joe Gura said. “They’re nice players and we didn’t have anybody to match up with that. And when you can’t score, you can’t win. You can’t hold teams down indefinitely defensively, and right now, we’re not scoring at all.”

Both Peter and Davis drained a pair of 3-pointers in the first half and freshman guard Jalen Jackson and Washington also converted from the arc as JCA trailed only 11-8 at the first break and 26-20 at halftime.

A pair of Peter drives got the Hilltoppers within 27-22 and 30-24 during the third quarter, but Manteno closed with an 8-0 run. Gura then upped the fullcourt pressure, but shooting woes were an antidote.

“How many shots did we miss, seven or eight, and all good looks,” Gura said. “It's the story of the night.”

“It’s crazy,” said Peter, who shot 5-of-10 overall, but 0-of-3 in the fourth. “We shoot so well in practice and gain confidence. We picked up the pace, got moving a bit, but still nothing. We really can’t score.”

The biggest scoring in the fourth came courtesy of a drive and two free throws from Washington, cutting the deficit to 38-26 and 40-29. Davis’ basket made it 42-31 before fouls, free throws and the hourglass’ sand ran out.

“It seemed like there was a lid on the basket at the end,” Washington said. “There were a lot of layups that basically went in and out. The losing builds to no confidence. We just have to keep working hard.”

Working hard for the opportunity was Harvey, who finished with 2 rebounds, a missed shot and a couple of fouls. Beyond the stat sheet, however, is where Harvey more than held his own for the Hilltoppers.

“Freddie did a real nice job coming in,” Gura said. “He gave us the energy that we needed on defense.”

NOTES: Talk about all or nothing. JCA shot 6-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half and 0-of-12 on threes in the second half. Manteno managed 6-of-14 on threes, including 4-of-8 in the first half … Manteno outrebounded the Hillmen 37-24, the advantage most prevalent in a 12-4 third quarter … Manteno also controlled the outcome from the free-throw line, nailing 13-of-17 to JCA’s 4-of-8 … Crocket shot 5-of-7 from the foul line, mainly in the final minute against JCA’s substitutes … Davis was JCA’s best shooter at 3-of-6, with 2-of-5 from three. Peter complemented his effort at 2-of-6 from three.