Victory leaves Lake Zurich with lofty NSC Lake view
Lake Zurich wants to get used to the unfamiliar view it has in the North Suburban Conference Lake Division boys basketball race.
Senior Nick Penny and the Bears used a big second half to beat visiting Libertyville 50-37 in a first-place division showdown Friday night. And for the first time since they joined the NSC 11 years ago, they are in sole possession of the top spot.
“It's pretty exciting ... and coach (Billy Pitcher) really got us excited about that,” Penny said after scoring 16 of his game-high 19 points after halftime. “But we know there is a lot of work to be done.”
The Bears (7-2, 3-0) continued to show they aren't afraid to work through challenges two nights after going on the road to beat Stevenson. They have not been decimated by season-ending knee injuries in July to Tim Spears (torn patella tendon) and Peter DiCerbo (torn ACL) or having 6-foot-7 starting center Andrew Gilbertson and Karl Gerlach currently out with sprained ankles.
“It's a group that had a lot of depth and we still have eight or nine who come out and play,” Pitcher said.
“It helps that we're a close team,” Penny said. “We've been through a lot together through the fall and summer and had a lot of comeback wins. We're a gritty team.
“I don't know why we keep struggling in the first quarter but we stick to the program.”
Libertyville (6-3, 2-1) led 8-4 after the first eight minutes as the Bears missed 8 of their first 9 shots — including five 3s — and went 2-for-6 on free throws.
But they took the lead for good at 17-16 on 2 free throws 1:19 before the break by Michael Bens (9 points). Then Penny asserted himself by hitting a 3 after halftime and making three 3-point plays the hard way in the first 8:28 of the second half.
“We've got the best player on the floor and you should win when you have the best player on the floor,” Pitcher said after the 6-1 Penny also grabbed 10 rebounds.
“I decided to be more aggressive,” Penny said. “I felt I was being more passive in the first half and I thought I'd pick up the pace.”
A turnover gave Libertyville a chance to get within 4 points late in the third but 2 missed free throws led to Bens' buzzer-beating 26-footer. Penny got a 3-point play on a left-side drive and he found Nick Meyer (9 points) for a 3 and a 39-24 lead with 6:35 left.
Penny's steal and layup gave the Bears their biggest lead at 45-29 with 3:23 to play.
“The issue was the same in both halves, we got physically and mentally out-toughed,” said Libertyville coach Brent Mork. “They make you play really long possessions defensively and make you play for 45 to 50 seconds. I felt we did a nice job for 45 to 50 seconds but we gave them multiple second-chance opportunities.
“I thought we could have gotten a lot better shots but mentally we weren't focused enough at all times to look for good shots. They make you work on both ends of the floor.”
Two 3s in the final 2:05 helped Jabari Quigley score a team-high 10 points for the Wildcats. Brandon Rule added 7 points as they shot just 29.3 percent (12-for-41) from the field.
Sophomore Ryan Kutsor added 8 points as Lake Zurich gets ready to defend its Pekin Holiday Tournament title after Christmas even though it didn't get a top-four seed.
“This team will never get satisfied and let anything go to our heads,” Penny said. “But we'll never be surprised when we win any game because we know what we're capable of.”