Smooth sailing for Stevenson

Stevenson's boys basketball team took a major step toward winning at least a share of the North Suburban Conference's Lake Divsion by handling visiting Lake Zurich 68-41 on Friday night.

The Patriots (17-6, 8-3) are now tied with Lake Forest and will travel to Warren next Friday. A victory then would allow the Patriots to clinch at least a share of the Lake Division crown.

"We have to continue to play hard, like we have done all season," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. "The kids know what is at stake and I think they are ready for that."

It was also Military Appreciation night, where all of the proceeds from T-shirt sales and pledges would go to military families that may need financial help.

Kevin Earl led the Patriots with 13 points.

"It was an exciting night to play in front of our fans, and we wanted to come out and stay focused, and get on top of our game," Earl said. "We also know that next week is very important for us so that we can get a high seed for the playoffs."

Ryan Chapman and Michael Fleming scored 10 points each, while Nate Johnson and Jeff Levitt chipped in 7 points each for Stevenson.

Marko Grcic led Lake Zurich with 13 points.

Stevenson's defense held Lake Zurich to only 4 field goals in the first quarter and 6 points in the second quarter as the Patriots earned a 35-14 halftime lead.

The Bears didn't help themselves by shooting only 16-for-42 from the floor, while Stevenson shot 23-for-40 (57.5 percent).

"Right from the beginning, I give Stevenson a lot of credit," Lake Zurich coach John Zarr said. "I think they did a lot of things well in order to play the part of the team looking to win the conference title. These are the games that you need to make sure to win, and Stevenson didn't leave any doubt in every aspect of the game."

The Bears fell to 2-21 overall and 0-11 in the NSC Lak. Zarr, however, is still relishing his coaching challenge.

"Any time you have only 2 wins, you have sit down with everybody that has an impact on the program," Zarr said. "We've spent a lot of time keeping this team together, keeping them upbeat and putting them in position to compete, and I think that for the most part (the players) have done that. However, I give everything to Stevenson tonight. They took us out of everything."