• Share
• E-Mail
• Print

When Barrington junior John Schneider emphatically dunked a

cross-court lob pass from sophomore point guard Brad Zaumseil early in the

fourth quarter Friday night, the Broncos bench and home crowd erupted in

cheers that were two decades in the making.

That's because the perfectly executed alley-oop signified much more than

just one highlight-reel play worth two points. It was the moment Barrington

coach Bryan Tucker said he knew the Broncos' 20-year conference championship

drought would officially end.

After five and half more minutes ticked off the clock, Barrington secured a

dominating 61-27 win against Hoffman Estates and a share of the Mid-Suburban

League West crown.

"We thought (the alley-oop) was at a critical point in the game that maybe

it psychologically would end it," said Tucker, who earned the MSL West

division title in his second-year at Barrington.

"We thought that kind of gave us a little fire and it looked like body

language changed for Hoffman on that."

As the team gathered for pictures with players holding up one-finger in

celebration of the school's historic MSL West first place finish, the public

address announcer delivered even more celebratory news on Barrington's

senior night.

The Broncos (18-8, 7-3) also hold the division tie-breaker, earning the

Broncos a place in the MSL championship game Feb. 23 at Prospect.

"It's pretty special on senior night to end the 20-year drought," Tucker

said. "I'm really happy for those kids."

Every Bronco was able to take the floor Friday night as the team's lead

exploded well beyond 20 points early in the final quarter. Barrington junior

Mark Bennett lead the team with 11 points, while Schneider and Zaumseil each

added nine. A total of nine Broncos contributed to the score sheet Friday.

"Everybody got on the court and that really feels good," Tucker said. "Those

kids all work so hard; even the kids that aren't getting on the court.

Everyone is reading about certain names (in the newspaper) but you're not

reading about (seniors) Mike McAndrews, or Brent Nelson, Mitch Smith, Ben

Nuckles. I mean we got some kids that are really playing hard every day in

practice and they're the reason.

"If those kids aren't doing their job, we wouldn't be ready to compete,"

Tucker continued. "I'm pleased for them the way they stepped in and

performed."

The Hawks were able to stay within striking distance most of the first half.

Barrington held a slim 16-12 margin about halfway through the second quarter

before the Broncos were able to finally pull away.

Zaumseil's speed, athleticism and play-making abilities helped spark the

Broncos out of its lackluster start.

Early in the second quarter, the sophomore starter jumped a passing lane for

a steal and took the ball the distance; finishing with a highlight-reel,

reverse layup.

"(Zaumseil is) so talented," Tucker said. "We encourage him (to run more).

We let him create. He does a lot of things. You might not see him every

night in double digits but he's the reason everyone else is in double

digits. He's huge for our offense."

After Zaumseil's play, the Broncos began scoring in bunches.

Bennett and seniors Lukas Osmundsen and Tyler Weathered combined to score

six quick points later in the second quarter to push Barrington's lead to

10. The Broncos closed out the half up 23-12.

The route was on from there, as the Broncos picked up right where they left

off in the second half.

Zaumseil opened the half hitting a baseline jump shot, then senior Greg

Gerrard converted a lay-up on his own steal and Schneider dropped in a short

basket, all within 90 seconds.

Hoffman Estates called a timeout to stop the momentum, but it picked right

back up when Zaumseil darted cross-court for another fast break lay-up. The

action-packed series was capped by a give-and-go between Weathered and

Gerrard, which ended with another lay-up.

The score ballooned to 42-19 after the three quarters.

After the fourth quarter alley-oop from Zaumseil to Schneider put the game

away, coach Tucker was able to provide playing time to the rest of his

seniors.

Smith ended up scoring seven points in the fourth and Brent Nelson scored on

an assist from his brother Scott Nelson.

Barrington also was able to hold Hoffman Estates under 10 points in every

quarter.

"We came out slow, but I think we really picked up our intensity and kept it

going once we got on a roll," senior Tyler Weathered said.

He added that the MSL West championship means everything to his senior

class.

"We've been talking about it for so long now," Weathered said. "We were able

to make history with this team."

To beat Prospect on Wednesday night for the outright MSL championship,

Weathered said: "We have a lot of weapons so we'll throw it all at them.

"If we play how we normally play well be in good shape."