Chapman, Stevenson hustle past Lake Zurich
It was only one possession Saturday night.
But it vividly demonstrated what Ryan Chapman means to Stevenson's boys basketball team.
The Patriots led Lake Zurich's visiting Bears 38-36 early in the fourth quarter, when Chapman, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, kept the possession alive by tapping an offensive rebound to a teammate while hurtling toward hardwood.
He quickly returned to an upright position and then crashed the offensive board again, this time for a put-back.
His line, in about six seconds of action at one end of the floor: 2 rebounds, 2 points, 2 floor burns (at least).
“Ryan comes to work and plays hard, every day,” Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said after his club's 52-46 victory — the Pats' first home win in four games this winter. “It doesn't matter what position he plays, if he starts, if he comes off the bench for us. What he did tonight, I'm happy for him. So are his teammates. He's very well-liked.”
Stevenson fans loved what Chapman did at the end of the second quarter Saturday night. LZ (3-12, 1-4) had limited the hosts to only 2 points in the first 5:55 of the frame, before Chapman netted consecutive treys in a 47-second span to put the Pats (7-7, 2-3) up 23-19.
He followed a 3-pointer by teammate Kevin Earl (7 points) with another trey at the outset of the third quarter to swell the advantage to 29-22. Chapman finished with a game-high 15 points.
His previous career-high total, he said, was 14 points, as sophomore on varsity. Maybe.
Maybe not.
“I think it was 14,” he said, clearly more concerned about Saturday's NSC Lake win than any Chapman stat.
LZ first-year coach Billy Pitcher has crystal-clear memories of Chapman as a freshman. Pitcher guided Libertyville's frosh squad three years ago.
“He also was very good back then,” Pitcher recalled. “Smooth, a bigger guard — like he is now.”
Pitcher's Bears tied Saturday's game at 43-43 with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter, thanks to a pair of free throws from senior center Drake Orser (8 points, 7 boards). Chapman answered with his final bucket of the night and later hit 2 free throws at 0:14.
“We knew this would be tight, close, tough,” said Pitcher. “It was a 50-50 game to us; it could have gone either way. We've had a lot of games like this. Too many. But I believe the kids have seen some flashes, some positive things. Games like this will eventually go our way.”
Junior forward Mirko Grcic (5 rebounds) paced LZ with 13 points, while senior guard Mike Boyd (11 points) connected for three 3-pointers. Bears reserve guard Jeff O'Brien contributed 7 points.
Pats junior guard Michael Fleming scored 13 points — 9 after the break. Classmate Colby Cashaw grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds to go with 6 points.