High school basketball: Glenbard West’s Bobby Durkin heats up to take down Bolingbrook

CHAMPAIGN, IL-Bolingbrook’s zone defense managed to make Glenbard West look uncomfortable and a little beatable for a few minutes at the beginning of the second Class 4A state semifinal on Friday.

And then Bobby Durkin blew it all up, draining a Class 4A record-tying seven three-pointers to lead the Hilltoppers to a 77-47 victory.

“When Durkin is hitting shots like that they are almost impossible to beat,” Raiders coach Rob Brost said. “A lot of those were contested shots. You have to give those guys a lot of credit. They are really, really, good.”

Durkin, a 6-7 senior, scored 30 points, he was 7 of 12 from three-point range and had four assists.

“It was definitely a super cool experience,” Durkin said. “My teammates were getting me open shots and I was able to knock down the shots.”

Glenbard West (36-1) closed the second quarter with a 12-0 run to take control. Durkin made a three with 1:37 left in the half that ignited the run, turning a four-point game into a 38-22 Hilltoppers advantage.

“Early on their zone definitely disrupted and we were a little tentative,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said. “That kind of flustered us at moments.”

It didn’t last long.

“It’s a credit to my teammates,” Durkin said. “When you have five guys that can all make plays it really opens things up.”

Sun-Times Player of the Year Braden Huff finished with 20 points and Princeton recruit Caden Pierce added 10 points and four assists. Ryan Renfro contributed eight points, 10 rebounds, and four steals.

“[Pierce] might be my favorite player in the state,” Brost said. “He might not score as much as some of their other guys, but he is the glue that really keeps them together. I don’t think he made a mistake tonight.”

Michael Osei-Bonsu led Bolingbrook with 16 points and 11 rebounds, one of the better post efforts against Glenbard West this season. Mekhi Cooper added 14 points for the Raiders (30-7).

“Hats off to Bolingbrook,” Opoka said. “What a great playoff run they had. They are great kids that competed at a high level. They have a lot to be proud of. They’ve been here four of the last seven years. That’s an unbelievable accomplishment in itself.”

The teams combined for 18 three-pointers, which tied the Class 4A state finals record.

“Bobby was on fire today,” Huff said. “We just continued to find him and that was the recipe for success.”

Read More