Simple solution for Lisle: get healthy

Lisle may finally have discovered the proper formula to eliminate its Jekyll & Hyde tendencies. And it's so simple.

“I think it's a matter of us having all our top six players,” said fifth-year coach Mark LaScala.

The Lions (5-10) struggled to a 1-6 record but had won 4 of 7 games entering Wednesday night's nonconference game against Immaculate Conception.

Point guard Anthony Vacco missed the first seven games for athletic code violations. He's returned to average 3.9 assists, spotting 6-foot-6 Chris Wray and 6-4 Phil Palicka. Both senior big men approach double-double averages, Wray at 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds a game, Palicka at 10.5 and 7.4.

LaScala said having the tenacious Vacco back is like “a shot of B-12.”

“Everybody in the conference was talking about our two bigs, Chris and Phil, but if you don't have a good point guard it's like having receivers without a quarterback,” LaScala said. “Vacco's definitely our quarterback.”

Junior swing man Kasim Khan missed early games with mononucleosis. Senior forward Kyle Frazier missed a couple Lemont tournament games visiting Alabama over Christmas. Senior guards Reggie Jansen and Curt Walker have been constants, but even Walker's missed a game.

LaScala would like to get back losses to Wilmington and Plano, but the Lions have since dealt both Peotone and Sandwich their first Interstate Eight losses and outscored run-and-gun Aurora Christian. When Lisle fields a full roster its record is 4-1.

“If we can get some confidence and everybody stays healthy, then I think we can compete on our home court for a regional title,” LaScala said.

Defense at a premium:

It was right there in coach Darren Howard's preseason assessment — Immaculate Conception's success would be dictated by how well defense complemented its substantial offensive ability.

During a nine-game losing streak Immaculate Conception (7-10) ended finally with Tuesday's 66-50 win over St. Edward, Howard's concerns were well-founded.

“We're trying to find ourselves defensively the most,” said Howard, who noted that athletes such as Demetrius Mobley, Anthony Loss and Brian Harvey are physically up to the task. It's conceptual stuff, like post defense, hedging screens and off-the-ball defense that aren't there yet.

“We're scoring a lot of points,” Howard said, “we're just not able to stop other people from scoring a lot of points.”

Case in point: IC's 80-75 loss to Aurora Christian. The Knights also gave up 106 points to Eisenhower at the Waubonsie Valley Holiday Tournament, a game so frustrating 6-8 center Pat Burke punched a locker at halftime, breaking his hand. He could miss the rest of his senior season.

Howard, a dyed-in-the-wool advocate of man-to-man defense, hesitantly uses triangle-and-two and box-and-one defenses. IC successfully deployed the latter Tuesday, junior forward Harvey hounding St. Edward leading scorer Michael Ellis.

“Without Pat we're going to have to play more zone stuff, and I hate zone defense with a passion,” Howard said. “But sometimes you have to accept who you are and move on.”

Sick daze:

It must be that time of year.

On Monday coach Shawn Healy said St. Francis (5-8) only had eight varsity players healthy enough to participate in a light day of practice. Six were out with a variety of ailments. Healy figured up to four players would miss this weekend's home games with Montini and Marmion.

Sophomore Jason Pisarski had a twisted ankle and both reserve Austin Wilkens and one of the team's most important players, 6-foot-4 junior Ryan Coyle, had mononucleosis. Healy said Coyle probably wouldn't return until the last weekend in January.

Fortunately, after missing all four of the Spartans' games at York over the holidays, junior Nick Donati returned from what Healy called a viral infection. Donati's 32 total points last weekend picked up some of the slack left by Coyle's absence.

From Monday through Thursday, however, it's been difficult.

“It's been a struggle to practice,” Healy said.

What a weekend:

There appears to be two dominant teams in the DuPage Valley Conference, and Glenbard North faced them both last weekend.

The Panthers (6-7, 2-3) played Glenbard East and West Aurora — the co-leaders in the DVC who, with 5-0 records, already hold at least a two-game lead on the rest of the conference. Doubleheader weekends in the DVC couldn't have been any tougher.

After an 84-60 loss to Glenbard East last Friday, the Panthers dropped a tough 55-54 decision to the Blackhawks on Saturday. Glenbard North led by a point in the final seconds, but a loose ball foul on the Panthers with 0.9 seconds left turned into the tying and winning free throws for West Aurora.

“I was real happy with how the guys responded from the night before,” said Glenbard North coach Joe Larson. “It just wasn't meant to be for whatever reason.”

The Panthers face another big weekend starting Friday against Wheaton Warrenville South. Saturday, at the Downers Grove North M&M Classic shootout, they play Downers Grove South. The Mustangs, at 12-3, represent another of the area's top teams.

“It's good and bad because it's a tough weekend, but it also shows you where you're at compared to the top competition,” Larson said. “We've been up and down so far, but I'd say Saturday was a step in the right direction even though we lost.”

Honored:

Among Saturday's inductees into Downers Grove South's Hall of Fame was retired basketball coach Dick Flaiz. Among his protégés was current Mustangs coach Jay Baum, who began his tenure at the school as a freshman coach under Flaiz.

“Dick Flaiz was a mentor of mine, I love him dearly,” Baum said. “He was a very big influence in my career as a coach.”

Flaiz, in attendance to receive his honor before Saturday's game against Waubonsie Valley, became the Mustangs' coach in 1981 and won nearly 300 games, including a pair of sectional titles in 16 seasons.

Longtime Flaiz assistant Paul Runyon took the helm and coached the Mustangs to a third-place finish in Class AA in 2005. Runyon retired two years ago, handing the reins to Baum.

“It was an honor to present (Flaiz) with the plaque and an honor for him to be present,” Baum said.

Close calls:

Tight games are becoming the norm for Glenbard West.

“We've won some and lost some,” said Hilltoppers coach Tim Hoder. “We've gotten better, we just haven't been good enough to get over the hump every time.”

Glenbard West (5-9, 0-3 West Suburban Silver) endured a 1-7 start as the team's football players returned to the court and worked their way into basketball shape. The schedule did the Hilltoppers no favors during an early slate that included Glenbard East, Proviso West and Lyons Twp., but they turned things around at the Glenbard West Holiday Classic by winning three out of four games.

The Hilltoppers needed overtime to beat Timothy Christian in the third-place game. It marked the team's second overtime game this season and the first of three straight games decided by 5 points or fewer.

Last week Glenbard West beat Bolingbrook 62-61 before losing 60-56 to York last Friday.

“We have to play really well to beat teams, and I think that accounts for some of our close games,” Hoder said. “The holiday tournament can point you in one direction or the other sometimes. Hopefully, we've set the tone for the rest of the season.”

While the Hilltoppers rely heavily on Matthew and Michael Mache, a 6-foot-6 junior who is averaging 19.9 points per game, they've also benefitted from the return of sophomore point guard Jeff Levesque and Justin Taylor from injury.

Glenbard West looks for its first Silver win Friday at Downers North.