Patriots leave it to Levitt against Cats
In order for Stevenson's boys basketball team to repeat the run it put together in the state tournament last year, the Patriots must find a consistent third scorer to complement seniors Kevin Stineman and Dylan Richter.
Tuesday night at rival Libertyville, the Patriots might have found just that player.
The number three scorer for Stevenson, coincidentally, wears No. 3. Against the Wildcats, he may have been the third option, but sophomore Jeffrey Levitt was the No. 1 scorer.
Levitt scored a season-high 16 points and was a major force on defense to lead the Patriots to a key 59-43 win in a North Suburban Lake Division contest.
"We have been getting on Jeff, telling him to shoot more," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. "We see it in practice and he has the ability to be that guy that can help us out as that key third scorer."
Things just felt right, right away for Levitt. His first shot with 4:45 to go in the first quarter provided the first points of the night for Stevenson (13-6, 6-2). A smooth-looking 3-pointer off a nice back screen from Richter got Levitt and the Patriots offense going.
"That made me feel good right away," Levitt said. "The coaches have been talking to me about shooting more and that shot gave me a lot of confidence."
Levitt finished the first quarter in the same fashion which he started. His steal ignited a Patriots fast break. Then his layup with 27 seconds to go gave the Patriots the lead for good at 14-12.
Stevenson's defense took over in the second and third quarters, holding Libertyville (8-9, 3-6) to just 11 points. The combined 26-11 burst gave the Patriots a 39-23 lead going into the final quarter.
"We had the lead, then (Stevenson) got off on that run," Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil said. "We got out of our offensive flow and things just collapsed from there. I don't know what it is. We played these guys well at Christmas and at their place, but we come here and it doesn't go for us."
On defense, Levitt has always been option No. 1 for Stevenson. Typically, No. 3 gets the other teams' No. 1 and he was faced with that same task against the Wildcats.
Levitt drew senior Joey Aiello.
Aiello, who can heat up at a moment's notice, was unable to get started against Stevenson. He took just 1 shot and finished scoreless for the first time this season.
"It's easy to stay awake and into the game playing defense," Levitt said. "I like the intensity of matchups against really good players like (Aiello)."
Stevenson still got solid games from its Nos. 1 and 2 scorers. Stineman finished with 11 points and Richter added 8 points and 12 boards. Dan Rebnord also hit double figures with 11 points.
Jeremy Letchford scored 8 of his team-best 13 points in the second half to lead Libertyville.