Burgess' bombs lead Deerfield over Glenbrook N.
By Drake Skleba
In a battle between the top two teams in the Central Suburban League North Division, Deerfield and senior reserve guard Max Burgess defeated Glenbrook North 56-52 Thursday in Deerfield.
Burgess scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter. With 7:11 left in the game, Burgess nailed the first of two fourth-quarter, three-point shots. The long-range bomb gave the Warriors a 41-40 lead.
With 5:25 left, the sharpshooter nailed a baseline jumper for a 45-42 Deerfield lead. With 3:33 on the clock he put an exclamation point on his performance, when he buried a three from the corner to give the Warriors a 50-44 lead they would not relinquish.
"What a great feeling! This is awesome!" said Burgess. "I have confidence in my shot and I was really feeling it tonight. To beat a quality team like Glenbrook North is truly great."
Deerfield (14-1, 5-0) rushed to a 20-6 lead in the first quarter. Senior guard Ryan Davis (13 points, nine rebounds, five steals) ignited the Warrior explosion with four steals and seven first-quarter points.
"We really started out well tonight," stated Davis. "We played very well against a very good team. I always come out and play hard. I played very well tonight."
Glenbrook North (12-3, 4-1) evened things at 30 at the half by outscoring Deerfield 19-10 in the second quarter. Senior forward Austin Weber led the Spartans with 14 points at the half.
Deerfield's 6-foot-8 senior F Duje Dukan (22 points, 13 rebounds) had 15 points and nine rebounds at the half. Dukan will play for Wisconsin next season.
"This is a great win for us," said Dukan. "I had a good all-around game. Anything one can get against Glenbrook North is terrific. We are all alone in first place, but we must move forward and continue to play good basketball."
The third quarter ground to a halt as both teams went cold. Glenbrook North, led by their 6-foot-7 freshman Andy McAuliffe, grabbed a 40-37 lead at the end of the third quarter. McAuliffe scored four points that erased a 37-36 Deerfield lead.
In the fourth quarter Burgess did his thing, and Dukan nailed five free throws down the stretch to give Deerfield first place in the CSL North.
"This was the biggest victory in my career and the biggest win around here in a long time," stated ecstatic Deerfield head coach Bret Just. "I'm so happy for my kids. They work so hard in the off-season and our seniors really stepped up to pick up this huge victory.
"Max Burgess is a hard-working senior who is a confident shooter and did a great job for us tonight. Ryan Davis does anything he can to help us win."
Glenbrook North was led by its Notre Dame-bound senior guard Alex Dragicevich, who scored 24 points for the Spartans. Dragicevich added seven rebounds in a valiant effort.
The two clubs will meet again February 19th in Northbrook. Neither club is expected to falter before what amounts to the CSL North championship game.
