Stempel-led Stevenson turns back Lake Forest

Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose wanted to make sure Stevenson guard Andy Stempel was getting his due.

"He's underappreciated," Ambrose said.

Well, let's check those statistics from Stevenson's 51-44 win over home-standing Lake Forest.

Stempel didn't score.

So why is Ambrose so high on this player?

"I do all the dirty work,'' Stempel said. "I do a lot of the rebounding and usually guard the other team's best player."

In this case, that meant Lake Forest freshman Evan Boudreaux. Wait a minute Stempel stands at 6-foot-1, and Boudreaux is listed at 6-7.

In better news for the junior, Boudreaux began this NSC Lake Division game on the bench. That's because it was senior night at Lake Forest. Boudreaux came off the bench and scored his team's first bucket of the game. And it turned out to be the Scouts' lone basket of the first quarter.

"I went all out against him,'' Stempel said. "I fronted him early. We had played against each other in an AAU tournament."

Stevenson (15-9) avenged a loss to the Scouts on Jan. 6.

"We called it revenge week," Stempel said. "We came out really hot. But we knew that they wouldn't back down."

Stempel is pleased with his season.

"It's been pretty good for me,'' he said. "I'm producing more than I thought I would. We have a lot of senior leadership on this team."

The Patriots threatened to blow this game open early. Freshman Jalen Brunson hit the Scouts with a 3-point play to open the game's scoring. He had 10 of 13 points in the first half as Stevenson opened a double digit lead.

"He's a presence out there," Ambrose said of Brunson. "He's tremendously better since the start of the season. He has that game after game experience now."

Shooting star Michael Fleming waited until the second half to make his move.

The senior had 6 points after three quarters but finished with a game-high 17. His 6-point personal run opened up the Stevenson scoring in the fourth quarter.

Lake Forest (13-10) made a run in the waning minutes of the third quarter.

On a turnaround jumper from Connor Cashaw, the Pats' lead was 33-18. In the next two minutes, the Scouts went on a 8-0 run to cut the Stevenson lead to 33-26.

"We knew they would come after us,'' said Lake Forest coach Phil LaScala. "That's how we beat them the first time. We didn't do a good job of finding their scorers."

After Fleming's third and final 3-pointer fell halfway through the final quarter, the Pats played keep away. Stevenson did not score again from the floor but made seven trips to the free throw line.

Morrissey added 7 points to the Stevenson attack. Boudreaux's 12 points led the Scouts. Thomas Durrett added 10 points for Lake Forest.