Verdict's a winner for O'Neill, Lake Zurich
No, we aren't going to put Lake Zurich's Jack O'Neill on the stand to testify about how many shots he missed on Friday night at the Grant Tournament.
That's because there were plenty of witnesses to his nearly perfect night of shooting against Chicago's North Lawndale.
Five of his long shots hit nothing but net. Those five 3-pointers paid dividends in Lake Zurich's fourth straight victory of the season.
O'Neill was the leading scorer with 21 points in the Bears' 70-55 romp over Lawndale.
When asked about his favorite NBA scorer, O'Neill came up with the sharpshooting Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry. And that special player certainly would applaud O'Neill on his special night.
"I haven't had a night like this in awhile,'' O'Neill said. "My teammates did a great job of giving me the ball when I was open."
Both the Bears and Lawndale came into the game having won three times each.
Lawndale showed early that it was a team to be reckoned with, as Fred Sims (21 points) was able to get to the hoop in a hurry. The Bears trailed early 6-2, but then the 3-point attack began to give the Bears a lead for good. Nick Penny (9 points) had the game's first 3 and his team never trailed the rest of the way.
Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher knew it was a special night for his shooters.
"This is our most impressive win in three years,'' Pitcher said. "We played really well. We had watched Lawndale and we thought they were the best team in the tournament. Of course, it helps when you make your outside shots."
O'Neill didn't land his first 3 of the night until halfway through the second quarter, and it gave his Bears a double-digit lead at 26-14. He closed the halftime scoring with another 3-pointer and the Bears led at the break 33-20.
If there was some concern at the break, it was that the Bears' tallest player, Will McClaughry, was in some foul trouble. And Lawndale had a few players who stood 6-foot-9.
Enter big Tim Spears (6 feet).
"We were already at a size disadvantage,'' Pitcher said. "Spears is 6-0 but he plays like he's 6-5."
Lake Zurich made only 5 field goals in the third quarter. One was a layup from O'Neill - but the Bears closed the quarter with three straight 3-pointers. O'Neil had 2 of them. Nick Meyer (12 points) also checked in from long distance.
"We are just a little more confident this year,'' Pitcher said. "It's great when you have five shooters on the floor."
Maybe this team had the book on Lake Zurich's top scorer, Mike Travlos. He was held to 2 field goals and 9 points.
"Give credit to Mike,'' Pitcher said. "He played unselfishly. He gave us good screens. He made good passes. He made smart plays. He was a good teammate tonight."
O'Neill is feeling good about these Bears.
"We have a lot of offensive weapons,'' he said. "And we work on our defense every single night."