Pitcher, Penny reach milestones in Lake Zurich's victory

There were a few milestones set during Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher's 100th career victory.

For one, Lake Zurich senior Nick Penny went to the free throw line and shot 8 straight free throws. He made 7 of his 12 in a one-minute span of the first half, and in the process he jumped into the school record books for most free throws made in a career.

And he earned a Gatorade bath after the game for his feat.

That other Nick in the Bears' lineup, Nick Meyer, took over play in the second half Tuesday night at Antioch. He scored 11 straight points on his way to 19. He also hit three 3s in that span on his way to 5 for the night.

The Bears (21-9) warmed up for the McHenry regional next week with a 67-43 romp over the Sequoits.

Pitcher won his 100th game in a six-year span.

"We've had a good run with Meyer and Penny,'' Pitcher said.

Antioch's highlight of the game? It came on the team's last 2-pointer of the night, and the home crowd screamed with delight. It was a thunderous dunk from Antioch senior Theo Hill.

The Bears didn't waste much time getting off to a good start. On Cam Long's lone bucket of the night, the Lake Zurich lead was 9-0. Antioch actually battled back and cut the LZ lead to just 3 points in the second quarter.

Kyle Gofron had 7 of his 10 points in the opening half.

Again, the two Nicks answered. Meyer hit a pair of 3s in the second quarter and his 8-point run helped build the lead back. Penny was next up and began his domination at the line. He was fouled and hit 2, and nailed 2 more on a technical foul on the Sequoits.

"It's pretty cool to have the record,'' Penny said. "But a lot of that is circumstance."

Rising Lake Zurich star Ryan Kutsor also had a strong first half with 8 of his 13 points. He also dropped in three 3s.

The Bears hit five 3s in the third quarter as the lead swelled to 53-36.

Meyer's hot streak meant he could rest for most of the fourth quarter.

"I got some open looks,'' Meyer said. "I got hot and the shots were dropping."

Lake Zurich landed 11 3-pointers on the night. Meyer stayed on the court in the fourth quarter and landed 4 more free throws. He finished 12-for-14 from the charity stripe.

Antioch shot the ball better in the second half. Trevor Koch opened his team's second half with a 3 and finished with 7 points. Michael Kawell scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter and he added 6 points for the Sequoits.