Paul Zilinskas Leads Hawks Comeback on the Road over the Flyers

The Hawks made the four-plus hour trip up to Romeoville for a rematch Thursday night against the Lewis Flyers. The two teams met right after Thanksgiving in Quincy which saw the Hawks win 71-69.

We had another exciting finish to this rematch. Quincy's Paul Zilinskas and Lewis's Beau Frericks would duel it out in the second half after both players got off to slow starts. The Flyers led 24-22 at halftime and led by as much as 8 early in the second half. That was when Frericks and Zilinskas started to heat up.

Zilinskas got the hot hand midway through the second half. The 6-5 junior, who started his high school career at Richards and graduated from Riverside-Brookfield, scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half. Zilinskas hit some tough layups and had a great drive to the basket. Frericks, a Cary-Grove grad, scored all 18 points in the second half, and was 3/7 for the game from three.

Zilinskas got the Hawks to within one with less than a minute to go. Flyers forward Vlado Zrnic fouled Hawks guard Zion Richardson. Richardson would hit both free throws to put the Hawks ahead. Zilinskas would add two insurance free throws, and the Hawks would stay ahead for good, finishing off the Flyers 63-62.

Zion Richardson had 15 points for the Hawks (3/4 3-pt.), including 11 in the first half. Joliet West grad Jamere Hill had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists for the Flyers, and Vlado Zrnic had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Flyers.

Notable IHSA Alums:

Quincy:

Paul Zilinskas: Riverside-Brookfield, Richards

Orlando Thomas: Rolling Meadows

Malik Hardmon: Crete-Monee

Nate Shockey: York

Jamil Wilson: De La Salle

Connor Davis: Neuqua Valley

Solomon Gustafson: Rock Island

Lewis:

Anthony Sayles: Notre Dame (Niles)

Beau Frericks: Cary-Grove

Tim Ward Jr.: Plainfield South

Jamere Hill: Joliet West

Devon Vanderheydt: Washington (IL)

Marieon Anderson: Rock Island