Boys Basketball: Sandburg pulls away, beats Providence

Updated: December 28, 2011 12:38AM

Ken Payonk found his “zone” early in the third quarter of Sandburg’s first game at the inaugural Hinsdale South Holiday tournament Tuesday in Darien.

The 6-foot-7 senior scored the first basket after halftime on a seven-foot jumper and never looked back as the Eagles beat fifth-seeded Providence 67-41 behind a dominating third quarter. Sandburg outscored the Celtics 24-4 in the period while Payonk scored 14 points, including two three-pointers in the period. He finished with a game-high 23 points, including three threes and had six rebounds.

“It’s a lot about making my first shot,” Payonk said. “That gives me so much confidence. The rim looks twice its normal size.”

Payonk made all five of his shot attempts in the third quarter. Joe Kuligoski (four rebounds, four assists) added 12 points and Malek Harris (four rebounds) had 10 points.

Sandburg will play Minooka at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinals while Providence faces Downers Grove North at 11:45 a.m. in the consolation quarterfinals.

Providence (7-3) saw its five-game win streak end while the Eagles (5-4) extended their win streak to five games.

Kevin Kozan scored 20 points and had five rebounds for Providence and Tom Kaysen had nine points and four rebounds. The Eagles’ man-to-man defense limited two of Providence’s top scorers, Brian Oddo (eight points, five rebounds) and Mike Marietti (two points), to a combined two points in the second half.

“It’s going to happen, those kinds of things,” Providence coach Tim Trendel said. “What’s more important is playing our best basketball in March.”

Sandburg and Providence traded large runs in the first half. The Eagles scored 14 of 17 points to open a 26-15 lead, but the Celtics scored 12 in a row to take a 27-26 lead with 16.7 seconds to go in the second quarter. Mario Wright’s three-pointer with three seconds gave the Eagles a 29-27 lead at the break.

Sandburg opened the third quarter with a 20-2 run and shot 10-of-12 in the period. Providence went 2-for-12 from the floor with baskets by Kozan and Oddo.

“A lot of it has been hard work and effort,” Sandburg coach Todd Allen said. “We got some guys back. We realized you just can’t show up and expect to beat teams.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.