Bartlett can't solve Lake Park this time
Part II of the Bartlett-Lake Park boys basketball trilogy favored the Lancers.
The Upstate Eight Valley Division rivals scheduled to clash for a third time in a Class 4A Lake Park regional semifinal in 11 days can each point to a regular-season victory against the other after the Lancers prevailed 63-48 on the road Friday.
Lake Park (17-8, 8-4) avenged a 58-55 overtime loss in Roselle on Jan. 13 by holding Bartlett (13-14, 4-8) to a pair of 3-pointers. The Hawks sank nine 3-pointers in the first meeting.
"We did a better job on the perimeter guarding them," Lake Park coach Josh Virostko said. "I think our footwork was better. We were chest up, spotting our feet and staying in front."
Bartlett attempted only 10 3-pointers.
"We weren't shooting with much confidence," said Bartlett senior Matt Chaltin, who made 1 of 3 attempts from long range and scored 15 points. "We have shooters we know can hit shots. It's just up to them to shoot with confidence. We did that the first time. Hopefully, we can turn it around in two weeks."
Lake Park led took control with an 11-0 run to open the second quarter. Senior forward Dave Prentis came off the bench to score 8 points in the period, including a pair of 3-pointers, as Lake Park outscored Bartlett 16-8 to take a 29-18 halftime lead. Senior Domo Spencer capped the 11-0 surge with 2 of his game-high 19 points.
"They did a really good job of getting Prentis open, of getting Spencer open and getting the got the ball on the block a couple of times," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "We just got late coming around picks and didn't talk. We did a better job of that the first time we played, but they're a better team than the first time we played."
Bartlett lurked within striking distance throughout the second half, but the Lancers answered each time the Hawks seemed poised to make their move.
Bartlett trimmed a 13-point deficit to 7 early in the third quarter, thanks to a 4 points from Lorenzo Mitchell and a pair of free throws from Chaltin. But Spencer responded with a 3-pointer from the right corner and 6-foot-8 senior Scott Karlis sank a pair of free throws after drawing a foul on Mitchell.
Bartlett pulled within 44-34 with 5:43 left after a bank shot by Mitchell, who led the Hawks with 18 points.
Again Lake Park answered. Senior guard Nick Zanghi (6 points) got the shooter's roll on a jump shot from the free-throw line, and he scored a layup on the ensuing possession, courtesy of an inside feed from Zach Wagner, who finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds
D-C 58, CL South 53: Struggling through the season and down to a good Dundee-Crown team 18-5 late in the first quarter, it figured that Senior Night for the Crystal Lake South Gators would be one to forget.
The feisty Gators made sure it was one to remember.
Outscoring the Chargers 51-35 in the last three quarters, South's rally produced a 58-53 upset win in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division boys basketball action at Gator Alley Friday night.
"We settled down after the first quarter and started making some 3s," said Crystal Lake South coach Dan DeBruycker. "We extended our 1-3-1 zone and started guarding their 3-point shooters better. "
The Chargers (18-9, 8-3), led by 3 3-pointers from Kyle Bernhard, had an 18-7 lead after one quarter.
But the Gators came out with their own 3-point barrage in the second quarter. Connecting on 5-of-6 shots from beyond the arc, South outscored D-C 19-10 in the second quarter and trailed only 28-26 after 16 minutes of play.
Steve Jarva connected on a pair of 3s and Nick Geske, Sam Schumaker and Xoni Veseli buried one each as the Gators got back in the game in the second quarter.
South took the lead for good 41-39 as Will Ahsmann connected on a 3 as time expired in the third quarter.
South's biggest lead was 50-41 after Veseli made 2 free throws with 3:58 left.
Schiller and Geske paced the Gators with 12 points each and Ahsmann scored 10.
Huntley 50, Cary-Grove 30: The Red Raiders (23-2, 12-0) cruised to this Fox Valley (Valley) victory Friday with Justin Frederick (12 points) and Bryce Only (11 points) leading the way. Jake Brock finished with 8 points, Amanze Egekeze scored 7 and Ryan Craig finished with 6 points. Cary-Grove was led by Ryan Arquette (9 points) and Luke Bianchi (7 points).
Jacobs 54, Prairie Ridge 47: The Golden Eagles (5-21) were led by Alex Glover, who scored 16 points in this FVC Valley win. Bobby Mladenovic finished with 11 points, and Will Schwerdtmann finished with 10. Nick Ledinsky (8 points) and Brad Cleveland (7 points) also helped Jacobs.
Burlington Central 47, Marengo 46: The Rockets (16-9, 7-2) pulled off a buzzer-beater victory against Marengo in the Big Northern East, as Ryan Ritchie hit a 3-pointer just as time ran out on the clock. Ritchie finished with 8 points. Ray Hunnicut led the team in scoring with 15 points. Bryce Warner finished with 7 points.
St. Edward 48, Guerin Prep 36: The Green Wave (11-16, 3-8) defeated Guerin during Suburban Christian Conference action Friday. Eddie O'Halloran led the way with 13 points. Troy Gudino and Zack McQueen each scored 10 points, and Doug Johnson finished with 7 points.