Lake Zurich finally bags a close one
Close has been the best way to describe how the Lake Zurich boys basketball team has fared in North Suburban Conference play.
The Bears' losses to Mundelein and Libertyville were each by 2 points.
So when things got close for the Bears in their NSC contest with visiting Lake Forest on Friday night, Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher knew just what to say to his team.
"I just told them to keep the foot on the accelerator and to not let up," Pitcher said. "We had leads in the Mundelein and Libertyville games and lost them so I told the kids just to stay with it."
The Bears stuck with it and eventually pulled away from the visiting Scouts for a 53-48 win to snap a four-game losing streak. The win was also the first for the Bears (2-6, 1-2) in NSC Lake play.
"We just knew we had to stay strong and not let up," said senior guard Colin Rathe. "We needed to get a close win after too many close losses."
Rathe was a factor offensively and defensively for the Bears. His 17 points led all scorers but his big steal and layup with 6:24 left gave LZ a much-needed shot in the arm and a 47-39 advantage.
"He is real quick and can really get in the passing lanes and be disruptive," Pitcher said of Rathe. "That was really a huge play because Lake Forest was starting to gain momentum."
Lake Forest (4-5, 0-3) continued to fight to get back into the game. Senior Alex Schwartz was a big key to the run, hitting a long 3-pointer to cut the lead to 47-44 with 5:26 left.
The Bears proceeded to do just what Pitcher had asked of them. They kept the foot on the pedal, outscoring Lake Forest 6-1 down the stretch to hang onto the win.
"Every time we got a little close, we just couldn't seem to get over the hump get that next bucket," said Scouts coach Phil LaScala. "In the first half Lake Zurich did just about anything they wanted and we didn't take them out of their comfort zone."
Lake Zurich went deep early to build its lead. The Bears drained all 7 of their 3-pointers that they attempted in building a 35-25 halftime advantage. Rathe drained three while senior Mike Boyd (6 points) drained a pair.
Schwartz kept pace, draining four on the night and leading Lake Forest with 15 points. Thomas Durrett added 10 for the Scouts while Mirko Grcic was the only other Bears in double figures with 13.