HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  Building a New Tradition of Basketball at Its Best
 

2021 GAME 26 RECAP: OAK FOREST vs. RICHARDS

Box Score

HINSDALE, Ill. – Local rivals Oak Forest and Richards faced off for the second time this season on the final day of the 2021 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. Richards ended up rallying from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime and finished strong for a 65-58 triumph.

With leading scorer Robbie Avila out, the short-handed Bengals only played six players in the game, with all five starters registering at least 31 minutes. Both teams combined to shoot above 50 percent in the first quarter (11 of 21) and stayed close to each other throughout the half. A 10-2 run gave the Bengals an 18-13 lead early in the second quarter, capped by a trey from Drew Pagnusat. Richards forward Deven Jiles was a disruptive force on the other side with 14 points in the first half.

At halftime, Oak Forest held a 31-27 advantage, thanks in large part to 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Pagnusat tallied 11 points for the Bengals.

Oak Forest started strong in the third quarter with an 11-2 streak to go up 42-29. But the Bulldogs slowly chipped away and then put together a 13-2 run of their own to tie the game up at 48-48 midway through the fourth quarter. Four made shots in-a-row gave them a 53-50 lead. However, Oak Forest came through with a pair of layups in the final 40 seconds to force overtime at 54-54.

Richards remained unfazed and scored the opening five points of the period. The Bulldogs held the momentum the rest of the way to defeat Oak Forest for the second time this year.

Richards improved to 8-6 on the season. The Bulldogs shot 42.6 percent from the field and 31.6 percent on three-pointers (6-19). Jiles was named to the All-Tournament Team after the game. He filled the box score with 17 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, three steals and three assists. Trevis Garmon posted a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Santiago Rios came through with big buckets late in the game, ending up with 13 points and seven rebounds. Marlon Ssnipes hit 4 of 5 from deep en route to 14 points.

Oak Forest fell to 11-2 on the year. The Bengals shot 38.6 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from long range (7-22). Pagnusat scored a game-high 23 points to go with sevven rebounds and five assists. Fred Robinson recorded a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.