HILLSIDE | A running clock is used in the fourth quarter of blowouts in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
The first day of the 52nd edition saw it used three times. Homewood-Flossmoor still beat CICS/Ellison by 62 points, but T.F. South felt the embarrassment of being on the losing end of such a defeat.
The Rebels fell 71-40 to Proviso East, and it wasn't that close. T.F. South committed 27 turnovers, and, in the eyes of coach John O'Rourke, an unpardonable sin.
"In the second half, we didn't come out with any heart," O'Rourke said. "We didn't compete. That was disappointing for me. You have to show heart, and we didn't show heart."
It might have been expected that T.F. South (4-6) fell to a pedigreed program as Proviso East (7-2), especially in the tournament hosted by its district rival. But O'Rourke, trying to build the Rebels program, didn't expect the lack of effort.
"Win or lose, you have to come out and compete," O'Rourke said. "We didn't show heart in that second half. We laid down."
T.F. South trailed 29-25 after the second of two straight layups by Kenny Doss midway through the second quarter, and had slowed down the fast-paced Pirates. Then everything went haywire.
"We lost focus," O'Rourke said. "It wasn't anything they did. Three possessions in a row we turned the ball over. Guys didn't realize what defense we were in. That lapse of focus allowed them to add nine points to their lead."
It was 44-31 by the end of the half and 64-37 after three quarters, the wide margin triggering the running clock.
Ka-Ton Mays led T.F. South with 14 points. Doss had 10, but also had seven turnovers. Proviso East was led by Jevon Carter (17) and Paris Lee (15).
The Rebels fall into the consolation bracket and will face either Rockford Auburn or Foreman at 11:45 a.m. Thursday.
Earlier,Times No. 1 Homewood-Flossmoor beat CICS/Ellison 88-26. The Vikings took care of business quickly, racing to a 34-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Jason Scott's dunk five seconds into the game started H-F on its journey to a 62-point margin of victory, the largest rout in the Proviso West carnival in 20 years.
Led by sub Tai Odiase's 14 points, H-F shot 60 percent from the field, outrebounded Ellison 42-22, and dominated every facet of the game.
Rashaan Surles added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Lamar Wofford-Humphrey scored 11. Ellison didn't get into double figures until Jackie Whitten's jumper made it 69-11 with 1:19 left in the third quarter.
H-F scored 36 straight points after Michael Hense's layup tied the game at 2-2. H-F came within 11 points of matching Proviso West's 73-point rout of Libertyville in 1987.
H-F (8-0) now rests until Thursday's second round, when it faces Westinghouse, a 38-35 winner over Downers Grove South at 9 a.m.
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