Kyle Flannagan’s big fourth quarter lifts Oak Forest over Eisenhower

Eisenhower led for most of the first half against Oak Forest and stayed within striking distance in the third quarter.

Bengals 6-foot-7 center Kyle Flanagan made sure that changed in the fourth.

He scored 17 of his 29 points in that quarter in leading his team to a 93-73 South Suburban conference crossover win. The Bengals (13-2, 5-1) ended the game with a 20-5 run to put away the Cardinals (5-8, 2-4).

“The fourth quarter was fun,” said Flanagan, who also grabbed 15 rebounds. “We have some great guards who can beat the press and they found me open for some easy layups. We worked on that all week.”

Flanagan, whose career high is 34 points, sat for a good portion of the second quarter after collecting his second foul late in the first. Filling in nicely for him was Christian Tidball, who had all 12 of his points in the first half.

Tom Shute had 21 for the Bengals while Armon Williams chipped in 11 points off the bench. Vinny Curta led the visiting Cardinals fast pace, pass and shoot offense with 19 points. Calviontae Washington finished with 14, and Khalil Williams added 14 off the bench.

“They are tough to prepare for and are the best at what they do,” Oak Forest coach Matt Manzke said. “You have to be composed and attack the basket and try not to let them hurry you up which is almost impossible to do.

“Kyle is a great finisher and he knows exactly where to position himself to catch those passes. That’s a skill – he puts himself in the right spot and is a great finisher.”

The Cardinals led 12-4, 23-15 and 31-27 before the Bengals took the lead for good with an 11-2 run. The Cardinals tied it at 50-50 in the third quarter but would never regain the lead.