Boys Basketball: Glenbrook North snaps losing streak, tops Deerfield

Updated: January 27, 2012 11:13PM

Mark Johnson knew Glenbrook North couldn’t afford another loss in the CSL North.

After losing to Niles North on a buzzer-beater last week to fall into a three-way tie for first place in the league, the Spartans needed to make sure and get a win Friday at home against Deerfield, especially after the Warriors won the first meeting Dec. 9.

Glenbrook North snapped a two-game losing streak with its 68-49 victory over Deerfield to move to 14-5 overall and 5-2 in the conference. The Warriors, who came in on a two-game win streak, fell to 8-10 and 3-4.

“We slipped up twice already in the conference, and we knew we couldn’t lose (Friday) if we wanted a conference championship,” said Johnson, who scored 15 points. “This also was the last time us seniors will play Deerfield at home. We wanted to go out and win.”

The Spartans, who again played with 6-foot-8 Andrew McAuliffe, used a 10-0 run to close out the first quarter ahead 20-10. They pushed the lead to 13 by the break and never let up, taking a 52-31 advantage into the fourth quarter.

“Our offense sometimes struggles, so we wanted to assert ourselves on defense,” Johnson said. “When we fall behind, we can struggle. We play well with the lead.”

Kurt Karis scored a game-best 22 points, but the junior point guard left the game midway through the fourth quarter with what looked to be leg cramps.

Adam Chick added 14 points in the win.

Mack Watts scored 17 points for the Warriors.

“Our pressure caused problems for them,” said Glenbrook North coach Dave Weber. “It also made us play faster on offense. We had to come out with great effort, and we did that.”

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