Even without Arnold, Lancers pull out victory

No Samantha Arnold, no problem for the Lake Park girls basketball team.

Despite missing their 6-foot-4 do-it-all senior center after she pulled a muscle in practice, the Lancers shut down Palatine to the tune of a 21-9 lead in the first half before eventually closing out the Pirates 46-36 Thursday night in Roselle.

Lake Park (11-4) knew several players would have to step up in Arnold's absence and help shoulder the scoring load. Junior guard Tori Clark came off the bench and did just that, tying Sarah Drozdowski for a team-high 11 points.

"(Arnold's) one that can give you consistently almost 20 points a game and almost 10 rebounds a game, so what happens is we have to find out who's going to step up and fill those points and fill those rebounds," Lancers coach Chris Fruehling said. "I thought Tori Clark did a very nice job in that role.

"She's a very good ballhandler, a very good point guard; she can not only drive, which makes her a threat, but she can also shoot from the outside."

Clark's 6 first-half points staked Lake Park to the 12-point halftime advantage, but the Pirates answered quickly to begin the second half.

Palatine (3-15) knocked down six of its first seven shot attempts.

"(Lake Park is) pretty much known for playing a matchup zone, and my girls didn't quite know how to react to it," Palatine coach Leslie Schock said. "At halftime we talked about the holes and where they could look to attack and score and where they would get their shots."

An 11-4 Pirates run in the third quarter brought Palatine within 5 points of the Lancers, causing Fruehling to send a message to his starting lineup.

"They have to know that they have to come out ready to play, especially coming into a third quarter," Fruehling said.

Clark played the role of stabilizer throughout much of the second half.

"Palatine came ready to play today, so I was a little nervous," Clark said, "but I was confident that we could get it back and end up with the win."

The junior also showed some big-picture perspective, citing how Arnold's absence could help Lake Park deal with the senior's graduation.

"(There was) a little bit of pressure because Sam's usually our top scorer and she's really good and everything, but we need to learn how to play without her," Clark said. "Next year we're not going to have her."