You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
38 | January 17, 2019 | The Homer Horizon sports<br />
homerhorizon.com<br />
Post play continues powering Porters<br />
Lockport splits pair<br />
of conference tilts<br />
Randy Whalen<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
The big man.<br />
Post play seems to be a<br />
lost art in basketball, where<br />
so much of the action involves<br />
the guards, 3-point<br />
shooting and the transition<br />
game.<br />
The Lockport Township<br />
boys basketball team, however,<br />
boasts not one but two<br />
big guys standing 6-foot-5<br />
or taller. Those are 6-foot-8<br />
senior Tommy Halatek and<br />
6-foot-5 junior Tommy Ferriter.<br />
The “Tommy Twins” both<br />
made their presence felt last<br />
week as the Porters split a<br />
pair of games.<br />
First was a 70-54 win<br />
over Andrew on Jan, 9 in a<br />
SouthWest Suburban Conference<br />
crossover in Tinley<br />
Park. In that game, Halatek<br />
finished with 14 points and<br />
11 rebounds, while Ferriter<br />
finished with nine points,<br />
seven boards, three assists<br />
and two blocks.<br />
Senior guard Matt Hatzopoulos<br />
led Lockport with 18<br />
points on 4-of-6 shooting<br />
from 3-point land.<br />
“It’s definitely a luxury<br />
for us,” Lockport coach<br />
Brett Hespell said of having<br />
two effective post players.<br />
“Tommy Ferriter gives<br />
us a little bit of everything.<br />
He can score, rebound and<br />
he’s just so versatile. He<br />
can play point guard for us<br />
if needed.”<br />
That would be the difference<br />
between the two<br />
players. Halatek is more<br />
of a classic center. Against<br />
Andrew, he had seven rebounds<br />
in the first quarter<br />
alone and scored 13 of his<br />
points in the first half. He<br />
sat out the final 14 minutes<br />
of the game as the Porters<br />
emptied the bench and had<br />
nine players score.<br />
“I will take a game where<br />
[senior point guard] Jake<br />
Karli didn’t score, and we<br />
won like this,” said Hespell,<br />
who also added that<br />
playing at least two games<br />
every week from here on<br />
out should get his team in a<br />
good rhythm.<br />
Things are usually in a<br />
good rhythm with the “Tommy<br />
Twins” on the floor.<br />
“It lets us spread the floor<br />
and gives us an opportunity<br />
to have some guys pop<br />
some threes,” Ferriter said<br />
of what can happen when<br />
the defense sags on him or<br />
Halatek. “But over the summer,<br />
I played a little guard.<br />
I’m still in the process of<br />
using my length and playing<br />
all over the floor.<br />
“We’re in a good rhythm,<br />
and we have made a good<br />
culture here. But we want to<br />
keep that up and continue to<br />
step forward with that winning<br />
success.”<br />
Andrew (1-16 through<br />
Jan. 11) hung with the Porters<br />
during the first quarter.<br />
There were two ties and<br />
five lead changes, and the<br />
score was tied at 15-15 after<br />
one quarter. Lockport<br />
took the lead for good with<br />
a 7-0 run to open the second<br />
quarter.<br />
Ahead 23-22, Lockport<br />
went on a 16-4 spurt over<br />
the last 3:36 of the half that<br />
was capped on a 3-pointer<br />
by senior guard Blake Sartin<br />
(5 points) just before<br />
the buzzer for a 39-26 halftime<br />
lead. The Porters then<br />
opened the second half on<br />
a 14-0 run and had their<br />
largest lead at 53-26 on a<br />
3-pointer by senior guard<br />
Aaron Grcevic (5 points)<br />
Please see porters, 33<br />
Lockport’s Jacob Karli fires a pass to Tommy Ferriter Jan. 9 during the Porters’ victory over Andrew in Tinley Park.<br />
Photos by Jeff Vorva/22nd Century Media<br />
Lockport’s Tommy Ferriter hauls in a rebound against the Thunderbolts in his team’s 70-54 win in the SouthWest Suburban<br />
Conference crossover game.
Change language