Lake Park defeats Stevenson in 2 OTs
The Lake Park girls basketball team has had enough close losses this season.
The Lancers weren't about to add another to the list Tuesday night.
Despite losing a 38-30 fourth-quarter lead, Lake Park kept its composure and battled through two overtime periods to eventually down visiting Stevenson 63-60 in Roselle.
Lake Park senior Tori Clark nearly willed the Lancers to victory by herself. The 5-foot-11 senior scored 14 of her 19 points in the extra eight minutes while serving as the calm hand behind the Lancers attack.
"I knew that when it comes down to close games, our team usually ends up on the losing half," Clark said. "I knew we had to get quick scoring and we had to push the ball.
"I just tried to drive in and get some points, get some looks to our bigs. I just really wanted to win. We all did."
Clark's biggest points came with eight seconds remaining in the first overtime when, after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, she converted all 3 free throws to knot the score at 53-53. Her lone 3-pointer in the second overtime period gave Lake Park a 60-55 advantage and all but buried the Patriots (18-7).
The Lancers (13-11) outscored Stevenson 18-7 in the third quarter, bucking a trend that led to so many close losses. Entering Tuesday, Lake Park had lost a total of seven games by 4 points or less, including its previous two.
"We've learned that we have to play all four quarters of a basketball game," Clark said. "Usually we die down in the second quarter, lose our lead and end up having to fight back and end up losing.
"It just crushed our confidence and crushed our team."
A pair of Kelsey Simon free throws with 1:41 to play in the second overtime pulled Stevenson within 57-55, but the Patriots could inch no closer.
According to Patriots coach Tom Dineen, first-quarter carelessness helped cost his team the game.
"The first three minutes we come out 7-0 and then turn the ball over four straight times," Dineen said. "Those four possessions were pretty big. We could have used them here at the end."
Lake Park coach Chris Fruehling feels defeating the area's 19th-ranked team makes a statement as the postseason nears.
"It shows that when we put our minds to it, and we look to play as hard as we can and the best that we can, we can compete on a nightly basis," Fruehling said. "It showed that we can find ways to win against top quality programs."