There is ‘no tomorrow’ for West Side
Time is now for Cougars, who continue surge with win at Munster
Time is beginning to run short for Quimari Peterson at West Side, and he’s making the most of it.
The senior point guard had 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as the Cougars posted a 68-52 win at Munster on Friday night.
“I’ve been around Quimari for so long, the last couple games he’s starting to be who he always should’ve been,” West Side coach Chris Buggs said. “I’m really proud of him.
“He’s starting to step up at the right time. These guys know they’re seniors and there’s no tomorrow. They’re starting to play with desperation.”
West Side (15-3), ranked No. 10 in Class 4A in the poll from The Associated Press, led 29-25 at halftime before Peterson took control against Munster (14-4).
The Division I prospect scored the first six points of the third quarter in a minute, hitting a 3-pointer and then converting a twisting basket as part of a 3-point play. He added another 3-pointer a minute later to give West Side a 38-26 lead.
“We had to pick it up,” Peterson said. “We were only up four. It’s a long game, and we had to come with the energy.
“We never give up. We hold each other accountable. … We have to make sure everybody’s together and we’re like one.”
Buggs has seen improvement from Peterson even over last season.
“He’s a lot more mature this year,” Buggs said. “Last year, he had a lot of things going on in his mind. He had some injuries. There was a lot of pressure for him to be the guy.
“This year, he’s starting to realize, ‘I’m talented, but I don’t have to be the guy.’ He’s learning how to take over when we need it and how to get other guys involved when they have it going.”
Peterson also impressed Munster coach Mike Hackett.
“He damn near had a tripledouble,” Hackett said. “He’s that good. … Pretty impressive numbers.”
Senior guard/ forward Chrishawn Christmas had 16 points and seven rebounds for West Side. Junior forward Jalen Washington, considered a fivestar recruit, added 12 points and three blocked shots.
Senior forward Jeremiah Lovett led Munster with 14 points. Senior guard Dane Hamilton added 13, and senior forward Clayton Bubash had 10.
Both teams dealt with foul trouble.
Washington sat for the final 7:16 of the second quarter with two. Senior guard Luka Balac, Munster’s leading scorer, sat from
the 2:29 mark of the first quarter until the start of the third quarter, Bubash for the last 5:32 of the second quarter and senior guard Bryce Schaum for the final 7:43 of the second quarter, all with two fouls each.
“That’s part of the game. … They’re a very talented team, and Chris is doing a great job,” Hackett said.
“We got killed on the boards, we turned it over too much and we missed a bunch of free throws. You’re not going to beat many teams, let alone a really good team. Pretty simple.”
Munster, which made 4 of 12 from the foul line, had won 14 of its past 15 games before this loss. West Side won for the 10th time in its past 11 games.
The Cougars also won for the second straight time in the series, adding to a victory from the 2018-19 season, after the Mustangs had won 18 in a row — including seven sectional games — dating to 2006.
“We have a lot of seniors,” Buggs said. “We talk a lot about how we respond on the road. We’ve been battle-tested this season, and that helps to get better when things don’t go our way. We stick to it.
“All of our guys work hard. We have a team. It’s never about one person. We always talk about strength in numbers, and it’s finally starting to show we’re a well-rounded team.”
The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up their third homestand of the season Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets and now hit the road for nearly two weeks. .
The Hawks on Monday embark on the first of two six-game trips on their schedule, starting with the Detroit Red Wings on Monday and Wednesday, followed by backto-back games against the Carolina Hurricanes and two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets the next week.
That’s three cities and 13 days between home games — and not a whole lot the players can do in their off time because of stringent COVID-19 restrictions.
“Yeah, it’s boring, that’s for sure,” Hawks forward Dylan Strome said. “We’ve got to stay in our hotel rooms. Each team has a little team lounge they got set up in each hotel. … They’ve got a pretty good setup for us there. You’ve got to wear your mask, be safe, do the right things and stay healthy.
“You’re used to going out for dinner on the road … or having friends come watch the game, or see them after the game. It’s different, but that’s the world we’re living in. It’s not as fun, but we’re making the most of it.”
Strome, however, said players have a bigger disadvantage: “It’s the fans for home ice. I think we might be the only team in our division with no fans, like, completely?”
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Blue Jackets this week announced plans to phase in fans at Amalie Arena and Nationwide Arena, respectively. The Hawks next play in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 23 and 25, and in Tampa, Fla., on March 18 and 20.
The Florida Panthers had about 3,800 fans when they played host to the Lightning on Thursday at the BB&T Center. The Dallas Stars had just under 3,700 fans for their game against the Hurricanes on Thursday at American Airlines Center, and more than 4,000 turned out for
their Tuesday game against the Hawks.
The Hurricanes have played in an empty PNC Arena so far.
The Red Wings have had “extremely limited” attendance at Little Caesars Arena, according to a team spokesman. The first four home games were restricted to a maximum of 250 fans to adhere to state and local health guidelines. The most recent games, Jan. 30 and 31 against the Panthers, were expanded to 500 — mostly friends and relatives of players and staff, season ticket holders and sponsors.
“We look forward to welcoming back a broader section of fans safely in the future once permit
ted to do so,” the Red Wings said in a statement to the Tribune.
According to a Nashville Predators spokesman, players’ family and friends, as well as a few staff and “hometown heroes,” were allowed at Bridgestone Arena at the beginning of the season. The Jan. 26 and 27 games against the Hawks were opened to a “couple hundred” season ticket holders.
“At February games, we have been operating at approximately 15% capacity,” a Predators spokesman said.
Many teams have adhered to guidelines limiting attendance to 10-15% capacity.
“There’s a little buzz in the other rinks, but you’ve got to find a
way to get yourself up for games,” Strome said. “That’s the biggest thing about the home ice — it’s just no fans.”
Hawks fans will be limited to lending support through social media rather than in person for the foreseeable future.
Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady was asked recently about the prospect of reopening the United Center to Hawks and Bulls fans.
“So let’s just take a slow look at this,” she said last week. “We saw the data (and) we’re definitely making good progress here, but we are still not even below that 400 case mark and that 5% positivity (rate) that really mark
our danger zone here in Chicago.
“Where I think about fans in stands, that is months away, realistically.”
Coach Jeremy Colliton said all teams are dealing with varying levels of restrictions and he focused more on f o l l owi n g COVID-19 guidelines that try to prevent players going into protocol, like the five Hawks who landed on the “unavailable” list within the last month.
“I mean, no one is loving the situation we have in the world right now,” Colliton said. “So there’s lots of things we’d like to be different. But ultimately we have to get through this the best we can, and we’re in it together.”