Round Lake can’t wear down Wauconda
An unusual record — most quizzical looks from spectators — was set before the start of a boys basketball game Friday night.
Wauconda junior forward Connor Rueb, the only player on the court at the time, hit 2 free throws moments before the tip. Round Lake’s visiting Panthers had been called for a technical for wearing illegal uniforms — threads they had donned for their previous road games this winter.
“The lettering is too close to the numbers (on the front of the jersey),” a referee explained.
Also unusual.
The infraction, oddly, meant Panthers coach Jim Roberts and his assistants could only sit during game action in a 42-34 NSC Prairie Division loss.
“I like to get involved, stand, walk around during games,” said an exasperated Roberts, who resorted to periodic foot stomps to get his hoopsters’ attention. “It was tough and frustrating, having to sit on our bench all night.”
A nifty fourth-quarter move by Wauconda junior forward Matt Mead lifted Bulldogs fans out of their seats. With his team up 37-31, the 6-foot-7 Mead (4 points, 13 rebounds) picked up a loose ball near mid-court, dribbled, drove hard on a Panther and then used his right hand to transfer the ball behind his back to his left hand before plopping it in.
“That was Matt using his instincts,” said Bulldogs coach Scott Luetschwager. “He wasn’t showboating. He did what he had to do in that situation. Got it done for us. And he had some monster offensive rebounds there in the second half (3, after a 20-20 tie at the break).”
The win avenged a 66-40 loss at Round Lake Dec. 3.
Round Lake (4-13, 2-5) struck for the first 7 points of the second half, seizing the momentum Wauconda (6-13, 2-5) had gained on sophomore guard Keith Blomberg’s buzzer-beating trey at the end of the second quarter. But Wauconda’s defense limited the visitors to 7 points the rest of the way.
“A good win for our boys,” Luetschwager said. “We kind of chipped away, chipped away, chipped away. We were smart with the ball, and we told our guys, ‘Be available for your teammates out there.’ The kids came up huge on defense. Round Lake was tough, and it helped having (Panthers 6-5 senior forward) Nick Lange (6 points, 9 boards) in foul trouble; he’s such a good player.”
Bulldogs senior forward Tyler Gick — seeing his most significant minutes since recovering from a knee injury — netted 8 of his 10 points in the fourth. He also came down with 6 rebounds. Blomberg finished with 7 boards, and teammate Kyle Ryan popped for 6.
Junior guard Juddon Carter (3 treys) scored a game-high 13 points for Round Lake.
“We were in a good position,” Roberts said, referring to his Panthers’ 29-25 advantage after three quarters. “We took shots – good shots. But they just didn’t fall. Our last three, four, five games, we’ve had a tough time scoring. And our foul trouble hurt us.”