Lisle eliminated from regional
When Lisle played Chicago Christian in the Lemont Christmas Tournament on Dec. 26, it kept the pace to its liking - a half-court kind of game. Despite the slower flow the Knights prevailed with a 4-point win.
But in a rematch between the two teams Wednesday with much more on the line - the Class 2A regional opener - Chicago Christian used its pressure defense to crank up the pace considerably, rolling to a 62-41 win over the visiting Lions in Palos Heights.
Lisle finishes its season with a 11-16 record while Chicago Christian improves to 12-14 to advance to the regional championship Friday when it will host top-seed Westmont.
"They did well what they do well and that's pressure," said Lisle coach Mark LaScala. "They really forced the tempo of the game and the style of the game to be what they wanted it to be. They play a lot of ball pressure and that took us out of what we do well, which is run half-court offense."
For the game the Knights forced the Lions into 27 turnovers, including 15 in the first half. Their defensive players guards harassed the Lions' ballhanders while trying to dribble up the court, knocking the ball away for steals and getting in passing lanes.
"This pace was much more to our liking," said Chicago Christian coach Kevin Pittman, whose team won the first meeting 49-45. "We like to score in the 50s and 60s."
Chicago Christian surged to an 11-4 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 28-10 at halftime. Standout senior Andy Stuursma poured in 17 of his game-high 27 points in the first two quarters. He also pulled down 9 rebounds.
"In big games big players come up and make big plays," Pittman said. "(Stuursma) has played like that all season long. He handles the ball well and does everything well for us. I wouldn't be surprised if he was sweeping the gym floor right now."
Pittman felt his team was able to pull away when it employed a more patient style of pressure defense rather than a gambling, aggressive style. He also felt his defense did a nice job on shutting down Lisle forward Cameron Wright, who can score points in a hurry. Wright, a senior, was held to 8 points.
For the Lions, junior guard Ryan Liss paced the team with 11 points. Senior captain Jay Osika chipped in 9 points.
To Lisle's credit, it hung in despite the turnovers and not being able to do much on offense when it got set. The Lions were within 30-24 early in the third quarter after a pair of free throws by Osika. But just when they would make a bit of a surge, they would turn over the ball on consecutive possessions to lose what little momentum they may have gained.
"Turnovers just killed us," Osika said. "We didn't play good defense. Their free throws killed us."
CLASS 2A CHICAGO CHRISTIAN REGIONAL
CHICAGO cHRISTIAN 62, LISLE 41
Lisle - Osika 2 4-4 9, Liss 2 7-9 11, Rackawski 0 2-3 2, Begley 0 0-1 0, Wright 40-1 8, Wray 0 1-3 1, Heard 0 0-0 0, Triplett 0 0-0 0, Gill 1 0-0 2, Schnake 1 0-0 2, Gorski 2 2-5 6. Totals 12 16-27 41.
Chicago Christian - Pittman 1 1-2 4, M. Schutt 1 4-4 7, Kowalczyk 0 0-0 0, Wofford 1 2-5 5, Ipema 2 0-0 2, Stuursma 8 9-13 27, Voss 1 1-2 3, C. Schutt 1 0-0 2, Merrick 0 1-2 1, Hull 1 0-0 2, Zoeterman 0 0-0 0, Lindemulder 2 0-4 4, Daniel 1 1-1 3, Vanderlaan 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 20-33 62.L
Lisle 4 16 8 13 -41
Chicago Christian 11 17 19 15 -62
3-point baskets: L: Osika. CC: Stuursma 2, Pittman, M. Schutt. Fouled out: L: Wray.