Bartlett sends LaFollette home with a loss

A 2-hour bus ride is a long trip for a basketball game. A loss makes the trip back seem even longer.

Bartlett made sure Madison (Wis.) LaFollette wasn't going to enjoy its trip home.

The Hawks used a strong first half from Luke Labedzki, some tough fourth-quarter defense and clutch free-throw shooting to beat the Lancers, 56-46, in a nonconference boys basketball game Saturday.

"They were willing to travel here. Unfortunately they have the 2-hour bus ride after a loss," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "I hope the experience helps them."

The game came about as both teams had open dates for games. LaFollette coach Reggie Williams said the only teams available in or around Madison were smaller schools. They came across Bartlett, which listed the open dates on the ISHA Web site. The two made contact and made the game.

"We just checked out the paper (online)," Williams said of how he followed Bartlett. "We weren't able to get down here to scout them, but they're a good team."

Bartlett (12-8), coming off a tough victory over rival Streamwood on Friday night, came out quickly as Labedzki scored 11 first-quarter points and led 21-13 after the first. The Lancers (7-8) came back in the second quarter, holding the Hawks to just 6 points, all from Labedzki. Josh Morgan scored 7 points in the quarter for LaFollete, which cut the deficit to 27-26 at the break.

Labedzki was 7 for 9 from the field in the first half, scoring 17 points.

"I was just feeling it," Labedzki said. "I knew we had to get a good push at the beginning because we were tired."

The Hawks increased their lead to as many as nine on two occasions, each after a Lance Whitaker 3-pointer.

LaFollette took its first lead since early in the first quarter with 4:40 left in the fourth after a Maher Hakim 3-pointer made it 43-41. But turnovers proved costly for the Lancers, who turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions. A Larry Whitaker bucket off a Donoval Coleman steal with 1:37 gave the Hawks a 47-46 lead. Bartlett then hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final 1:03.

"(Bartlett) isn't much different. They are very similar," Williams said of how Bartlett compares to teams the Lancers normally play.

Labedzki finished with 22 points. Larry Whitaker added 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Jaren Singh led LaFollette with 13 points and 8 rebounds.