Warren: Still soarin'
Things are getting pretty interesting for the Warren boys basketball team as of late.
A month ago, the Blue Devils were headed in the wrong direction, sporting a 3-10 record and mired near the bottom of the North Suburban's Lake Division.
One month later, the Blue Devils are smack dab in the middle of the NSC Lake race.
At first glance, fans might think it's because the Devils have gotten back to the fundamentals and are playing the type of defense the program is known for. But the real answer just might lie with assistant coach Rick Pearce.
It seems that when Warren was stuck at 3-10 following a heartbreaking 1-point loss to Stevenson, coach Pearce made a deal with the team that he would treat the young Blue Devils to pizza if they somehow righted the ship and got back to the .500 mark.
"I told them that if we got to .500, pizza was on me," Pearce said with a grin.
Now it's the Devils who are grinning, and it's not just about the free pizza, either. After another stellar defensive effort in another tough road contest, Warren has a chance to win the NSC Lake after its impressive 45-38 win at defending champion and current division leader Lake Forest.
A win by the Devils over Stevenson at home next Friday, coupled with a loss by Lake Forest at Libertyville, would give Warren a seemingly improbable share of the conference title and a berth in the NSC title game against North Chicago.
"I am just real proud of all of the kids," said Warren coach Chuck Ramsey. "The kids are working harder in practice and we are starting to see it translate into games."
Warren (9-10, 7-4) has won six straight, with four of those six coming on the road. But Friday's game was not your typical road win.
The Devils turned to the signature of their program - defense - to slow down Lake Forest senior Mitch Hopfinger and sophomore Thomas Durrett.
Hopfinger was limited to just 12 points but needed 17 shots to get it done thanks in large part to the defense of senior Craig Burton. Durrett faced off with first-time Warren starter Tanner Erbach and was held to only 2 points.
"Burton did an outstanding job on Hopfinger," Ramsey said. "Tanner has also worked his way up, day-in and day-out, and got to make his first varsity start."
Erbach took advantage of his first start scoring 11 points including a pair of huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Warren build a 38-32 advantage.
"I have just always felt comfortable from out from 3," Erbach said.
Lake Forest (13-9, 8-3) last led 22-21 late in the first half before Warren rattled off a 9-0 run to take the lead for good. The Devils, who also got double figure efforts from Shahron Thomas (11 points) and Jeremiah Jackson (10 points, 11 rebounds), led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter.
"Defensively in the fourth quarter we had two or three occasions where we had mental lapses and Warren took advantage," said Lake Forest coach Phil LaScala. "I thought Warren played physical and took advantage of its size inside."