Daniel Reed happy to come home
Marist transfer fits right back in, leads H-F to big SouthWest Suburban Blue victory over Bolingbrook
Marist transfer fits right back in, leads Homewood-Flossmoor to big SouthWest Suburban Blue victory over Bolingbrook.
Daniel Reed is happy to be home.
And Homewood-Flossmoor is happy to have him — again.
“Daniel’s brought experience and leadership,” H-F coach Marc Condotti said. “We lost four starters to graduation, including two guards. He’s stepped right in and filled a gap. He’s been great.”
After spending his freshman season at H-F, Reed transferred to Marist for two years. He returned to H-F for his senior season, and has immediately made a difference.
The 6-foot combo guard scored 16 points Tuesday night against host Bolingbrook in helping the Vikings to a 71-62 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory.
In what has become a pattern, Reed started the game strong. After scoring 20 points in the first half Friday against LincolnWay West, Reed erupted for eight points in the first quarter against the Raiders.
That allowed the Vikings to grab a 21-10 lead.
“I’m just taking what defenses are giving me,” Reed said. “My teammates are trusting me with the ball. I’m trying to make the most of this opportunity.”
Junior forward Christian Meeks paced the Vikings (5-0, 4-0) with 20 points and senior guard Tai Walters added 16. Junior forward Wesley Rubin provided a nice spark off the bench with eight points.
For Bolingbrook (5-2, 3-1), junior guard Jaydin Dunlap scored 21 points.
Reed said his transition back to H-F has been seamless, which has allowed him to relax and play his game.
“Coming back together with guys I played with is a good feeling,” Reed said. “I’ve played with a lot of these guys growing up. They’ve welcomed me back with open arms.”
Having Reed and Walters in the backcourt has given the Vikings an explosive scoring tandem. Combine that with the strong inside play of Meeks, and H-F has a trio of dependable scorers.
“Daniel has been coming out firing, so we try to go to him early on,” Walters said. “We know he’s going to put the ball in the basket. We can both score, and it makes it tough on opponents to key on one of us.”
Reed dedicated much of the offseason to improving his shooting. He has been encouraged by the results.
“I was taking 300 to 400 shots a day,” he said. “The hard work is paying off.”
Reed said the reason he transferred back to H-F was simple.
“I missed being with people I grew up with,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun to play with guys I’ve known for a long time.”
The Vikings led 29-12 with 5:27 left in the first half and appeared ready to blow the Raiders out of their own gym.
Bolingbrook, however, clawed its way back and trailed 53-52 with 6:07 left in the fourth quarter.
“They tried to speed us up and they were able to get us out of our sets,” Walters said. “We needed to make a stand on defense and run our offense.”
H-F countered with a 10-2 burst, with Meeks, Reed and Javery Johnson contributing baskets that opened up a 63-54 advantage with 2:49 to go.
Condotti was pleased with the win, but not with his team’s overall performance.
“We were sloppy,” he said. “We had a nice lead in the first half and we got away from our game plan. But anytime you can leave this place with a win you’ll take it.”