Boudreaux, Lake Forest too much for St .Viator
Lake Forest center Evan Boudreaux showed everyone in St. Viator's Cahill gymnasium that he is the real deal.
Boudreaux, a 6-foot-8 senior, scored 28 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in the Scouts' 57-45 nonconference win over the Lions on Tuesday night.
The win gave the Scouts a 22-1 record, with a seven-game win streak. The Lions fell to 14-8 but played well for most of the game.
"The first quarter hurt us," said Lions coach Quin Hayes. "We came out on our heels, but after the first quarter we played them pretty even for the next two and a half quarters."
Hayes was referring to the 13-2 lead that Lake Forest held at the end of the first quarter.
Boudreaux did most of the damage with 8 points and 7 rebounds.
"We knew they could shoot the ball and those 3s got them back in the game," said Lake Forest coach Phil LaScala.
Patrick McNamara, who led St. Viator with 12 points, hit for two 3-pointers and Nick Ferrante (11 points) also had one as St. Viaotr closed the gap at halftime to 28-18.
The Lions picked up their third-quarter defense, holding the Scouts to 6 points, with Boudreaux getting 4 of them.
Ricky Muench hit two long-range shots and Ferrante had another as St. Viator trailed 34-28 after three quarters.
Sal Cannella scored on a assist from McNamara to bring the Lions within 34-30 - but that was as close as they got.
"When they closed the gap," said LaScala, "we stayed patient and never lost our composure. Cannella played well for them. When he fouled out, it made it easier for us to get the ball inside."
Tommy Trkla (10 points) started a 13-5 lead with two baskets that gave the Scouts a 47-35 lead with 3:36 left. Boudreaux also added two baskets in the run and hit 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the game's last 1:06.
Lorenzo Edwards scored 10 points and had 3 dunks. He also pulled down 8 rebounds.
"We play them every year," said Boudreaux. "We know that they will fight hard every minute of the game. We knew we couldn't give in to their pressure. We know we're a big team and we like to get the ball inside, and we have to rebound to win."
Lake Forest held a 40-13 rebound advantage, confirming Hayes's fears.
"You lose a game like this on the glass like this and no matter the level, you're going to lose," said Hayes. "They are a very talented team. We'll learn from playing teams like this."
Cannella saw some good news, too, despite the outcome.
"Playing teams like Lake Forest helps us get ready for our next few games and the state tournament," said Cannella. "It builds our confidence that we can play with teams like this. We play with a lot of heart."