Lakes likes that winning feeling

That collective sigh of relief you might have heard last weekend came from Lake Villa - via Wauconda.

The Lakes boys basketball team got its first win of the season after an 0-8 start. The Eagles went on the road and defeated host Wauconda 52-36 last Saturday.

"It feels great," Lakes coach Brian Phelan said. "I wasn't worried that we would lose this group because we have good kids who work hard. We have good parents, too. They all knew we had upgraded our schedule and that we were playing some really tough teams.

"But (the losing streak) was definitely hanging in front of us. It was just a matter of finally breaking free of it. It was pretty nice when we did."

The Eagles had been close before.

Their eight losses were by an average margin of 9.3 points. They also lost three games by 5 points or less.

"Of the 32 quarters in those eight losses, I would say that there were only two quarters where we didn't play hard or smart," Phelan said. "We were in almost all the games and leading a lot of them at halftime.

"The other 30 quarters, we were doing everything we were supposed to be doing, our shots just weren't falling."

Even free throws weren't going in for Lakes. The Eagles have been shooting approximately 45 percent from the line as a team so far this season.

"It was frustrating," Phelan said. "But I've been really impressed with the maturity of the guys and their ability to hang in there."

Sophomore spark: So just how did Lakes break free of that nasty losing streak?

Part of it was perseverance. Part of it was senior guard John Androus, who is the Eagles' leading scorer and scored a game-high 14 points against Wauconda.

But there was one other very important factor.

Well, make that three.

Lakes got key contributions from three sophomores, two of whom were making their first varsity starts against Wauconda.

Donte Arnold-Wright scored 12 points and Tanner Blain added 10 points. Both are guards who started on the perimeter.

Meanwhile, Deondre Hudson, the third diaper dandy and a 6-foot-5, 225-pounder, got valuable minutes in the post.

"When we were thinking of pulling those guys up, our sophomore team was undefeated at the time and all three of those guys were playing really well," Phelan said. "I asked my sophomore coach if they were ready (for varsity) and he said they were.

"We put them in for the first time last week against Vernon Hills and we were already down by 12 points at the time. That's a tough way to get your first varsity minutes. But (Arnold-Wright and Blain) handled it so well that we felt they should start against Wauconda."

Phelan said that both Arnold-Wright and Blain are solid ball handlers who can also score. Putting Arnold-Wright at the point has also freed up Androus to play more shooting guard, his forte.

"Our sophomores really bring a good energy all the way around," Phelan said. "They've definitely given us a spark."

Just another game? Five years ago, Lakes High School opened its doors after splitting from Antioch.

Back then, Lakes coach Brian Phelan was all about the rivalry between the two sister schools.

"I got swept up into it," Phelan said. "I wouldn't even let our kids wear Antioch shirts in the gym, and these were kids who were just at Antioch.

"But now, after a couple years of maturing (laughs), it's just another game for me. I'm going to let others sweat over it."

And Phelan says they will, that the rivalry with Antioch is still alive and well.

He says that fire will draw plenty of interest to his team's home game on Friday. The Eagles host Antioch in the team's first of two matchups this season.

"Everyone gets so psyched for this game," Phelan said. "The kids are into it, the parents are into it. The school is into it. It'll be fun."

Rare miss: Shortly after his team defeated Mundelein on Saturday, Warren coach Chuck Ramsey got a phone call.

He excitedly recounted details of the victory to the caller. It was probably just what the doctor ordered for assistant coach Bill Werly.

Werly, who has been coaching with Ramsey for nearly two decades, isn't used to missing games. In fact, he's missed only two games over the years: one a few years back for Senior Night at Libertyville, where his son played basketball, and one on Saturday because he was in the hospital.

Werly had kidney stones removed.

"I bet we've coached more than 450 games together, and he's missed just those two," said Ramsey, who then smiled and added: "They've both been excused absences."

Much improved: Last year, Wauconda won three games.

The Bulldogs have already won that many games this season, and they've done it with one of their best players on the bench.

Senior forward Matt Stonis chipped a bone in his foot during the preseason and was in a walking cast for two weeks. He finally played in his first game of the season last weekend against Lakes.

Stonis, who averaged double-figure points last season, was supposed to be a major factor for the Bulldogs this season.

"I think the kids are excited about how we've started the season," said first year Wauconda coach Scott Luetschwager said. "I think they realize that they've won games without one of our biggest weapons. That's built some confidence in us and now they're even more excited to see what we can do with a full team."

The Bulldogs were also temporarily missing sophomore sharpshooter Kyle Ryan while he recovered from a foot infection. He missed the North Chicago game earlier this month.

But now Ryan is back as well.

One constant for the 3-5 Bulldogs has been senior forward Eric Hartnett. He's been averaging 18 points per game.

Sophomore spark II: Wauconda's Kyle Ryan has wasted no time getting his career off to a great start.

The sophomore guard has become the Bulldogs' three-point specialist.

"He had a really good Thanksgiving," Wauconda coach Scott Luetschwager said. "He hit 5 three-pointers against Richmond-Burton. And he hit one against Woodstock in the fourth quarter that pretty much put us on top for good.

"He was pulled up to varsity at the end of last year as a freshman and I think that really helped with his confidence this year. He knew what to expect."

Up-and-comers: Palombi Middle School in Lake Villa is a feeder for not one, not two but three area high schools: Lakes, Grayslake North and Grant.

Looks like all three of those high schools will be getting some pretty good talent in the next year.

The Palombi eighth grade boys team boasts a sparkling 24-0 record after winning the Holiday Junior High Classic Tournament at the College of Lake County last weekend.

The Lancers defeated rival Viking Middle School of Gurnee by 2 points on a last-second shot by Steven Dunning.

Over the last two years, the Lancers' record is an amazing 49-1. They've also won two straight North Suburban Middle School titles.