Dec. 18--On a night when Devin Gage struggled for three quarters, his supporting cast provided a boost.
No. 2 Curie, on the strength of its complementary players, knocked off pesky and determined Hyde Park 73-58 for a Red Central win Thursday.
The host Condors were propelled by junior Elijah Joiner (11 points, six rebounds), junior Allante Pickens (14 points) and sophomore Landers Nolley II (15 points).
"We've got to play the whole game, we're too good of a team," Curie coach Mike Oliver said. "We get up 12, 14 points and we have mental lapses. We're at team. When we play as a team, we're really good. When we play as individuals, we're not good. It's simple."
Gage, a senior DePaul recruit, was held to five first-half points. He was benched for most of the third quarter after picking up his third foul before scoring 11 points in the fourth.
"We've warned (Gage) about getting bad fouls, because we need him," Oliver said. "But he came back like a senior in the fourth and brought us home."
Pressure defense propelled Curie (6-0, 4-0) to an early lead. The Condors forced eight turnovers by the Thunderbirds (7-3, 2-2) in the first quarter alone, alternating between a full-court press after a basket and 2-3 zone in the halfcourt.
Hyde Park was led by the toughess of senior point guard Jamaal Gill and senior forward Tajuan Agee. Curie's Traevon Martin fouled Agee hard with 3 minutes, 36 seconds left in the second quarter, leading to a five-minute delay that ignited the Thunderbirds. Agee scored seven points in the next minute, 19 seconds and closed Curie's lead to 30-29 at halftime.
Oliver kept the team in the locker room long after the game ended, and joked about a "scolding" he gave the players. But the early-season message got through.
"(Oliver) told us it was a great win, he just needed to get some things cleared up," Joiner said. "We came out with a lot of energy, fed off of the crowd a lot. We moved the ball well, had 23 assists, so when everyone shares the ball, we're good."
Curie, for all its recent success, hasn't made much noise in the state tournament. The Condors were knocked off by Riverside-Brookfield in the sectional semifinals last season, got a regional semifinal ouster as the top seed by DuSable in 2014 -- Cliff Alexander's senior season -- and fell to Young in a talent-laden sectional semifinal the year prior.
With no dominant 4A team establishing itself early in the season, Curie can start carving its path to the loaded Riverside-Brookfield sectional now.
"A lot of people say we're young, but nine of these guys played for varsity last year, and we have two transfers that played on varsity teams," Oliver said. "I feel good. We still have a lot of things to work on, but I think we'll be right there competing for the state championship."
rmayor@tribpub.com
Player of the game: Elijah Joiner, Curie, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists.
Key performers: Curie -- Devin Gage, 17 points, 5 steals; Allante Pickens, 14 points; Landers Nolley II, 15 points. Hyde Park -- Tajuan Agee, 16 points, 6 rebounds; Jamaal Gill, 6 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals; Brandon Daughtry, 12 points.
