A day later Lancers on right end of 4th-quarter run
It was 24 hours later, and this time Lake Park came out on the good end of a scoring run.
The Lancers (1-1) won 53-38 over host Fenton (0-2) in a boys basketball game Tuesday, thanks to a 12-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter - one day after Naperville Central buried Lake Park with a similar fourth-quarter run.
"This was our second time in that situation, and we knew how badly it felt yesterday," said Lancers guard Danny Baylis. "We gained a little experience."
In second-round play of Fenton's Chuck Mitchell Thanksgiving tournament, the Bison cut the Lancers' lead to 36-34 on a 12-foot jumper from Paris Jones in the fourth quarter.
Lake Park responded with a pair of Matt Drufke free throws, a 3-pointer by Patrick Powers and a Baylis three-point play to build a cushion that never again dipped under 8 points.
"We knocked down some shots," said Lancers coach Cray Allen. "Our post players got a little more active, too, and that helps our guards. Our big men are still learning to play like big men."
After scrapping all night and staying within striking distance, Fenton saw the Lancers earned a 20-10 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter.
"Similar to last night (a 55-49 loss to Rolling Meadows), we cut a lead down but then couldn't get anything going offensively," said Fenton coach Dennis Cromer. "We needed to take our time offensively down the stretch, and we didn't do that."
Lake Park led 22-14 at halftime, but the Bison outscored the Lancers in the second and third quarters. Jones and Cody Meyer hit a few big shots in keeping Fenton close.
The Lancers' Jason Sotira answered with some clutch outside shooting in the third quarter, hitting two of his four 3-pointers on the night.
"Jason's a good shooter, and he was a spark for us tonight," Allen said. "He hit some big shots."
With Lucas Antioho active on the boards and Drufke and Baylis earning steady trips to the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, Lake Park pulled away.
"We were fortunate to be in the bonus, and we hit some free throws. That was huge tonight," said Baylis, who went 5 of 5 from the line in the final period. Drufke went 5 of 7 from the line in the quarter, and after shooting no free throws in the first half, Lake Park went 11 of 16 in the second half.
The Lancers' defense also played a role in their fourth-quarter scoring run.
"We've kept switching it up between man and zone, and it seems to be working pretty well," Baylis said.