Round Lake's winning continues vs. Wheeling
Round Lake is doing something that the Panthers have not had to worry about in 24 years. That's to build a resume.
Round Lake, which hasn't had a winning basketball season since the 1995-96 season, picked up its 11th win of the season Saturday with an impressive 76-66 nonconference victory over host Wheeling.
"This is big for us," said Round Lake coach Jay Iden, whose team meets Lake Zurich on Tuesday. "This is a March game for us. As always our guys rise to the occasion. They always turn it on and they always have a motor."
The Panthers (11-3), who now have equaled their highest win total since the 2002-03 season, did not convert a 3-point basket. They did, however, knock down 33 field goals thanks to their fast-paced style of game that saw them force 22 Wheeling turnovers.
"This is how we play," Iden said. "Up and down, full court defensive pressure. That's what we like."
That speed caught up with Wheeling (6-8) at the beginning of the second half. Round Lake scored the first 9 points on its way to a 16-1 run to open up the game.
"Our kids need to compete on every possession," Wheeling coach Michael O'Keeffe said. "They scored to start the second half. They go on a run to start the second half and then we lose by 10. It doesn't seem like much, but every possession matters."
Round Lake got off to nice start as the Panthers built a 24-17 lead early in the second quarter.
Wheeling, which was struggling defensively, began to get some stops and then converted on the offensive end. The Wildcats chipped away and then took a 30-28 lead on a rebound basket by Aima Igiehon.
Round Lake responded by going on a 9-2 run to close out the quarter. The Panthers took a 37-30 halftime lead behind the play of Deveauntay McNeal, who had scored 24 of his game-high 31 points in the first half.
"We just play hard," said McNeal, a junior who also had 12 rebounds and 3 steals. "I can score, but everyone has to help. We are playing like a team and not worrying about just ourselves. It is just all of us."
With Wheeling focused on slowing down McNeal, Hakim Williams, who had been in foul trouble in the first half, scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half.
"With the foul trouble, it kind of slowed down my rhythm," said Williams, who is also a junior. "I have teammates that picked me up. We like the way we are playing."
Keveonne Peterson had 10 points for the Panthers while Isiah Nixon chipped in 8 points.
Wheeling was led by Igiehon, who had 18 points and 9 rebounds. Jaden Terrell had 16 points and Christian McLaughlin added 14 points.
"We really only play two seniors," O'Keeffe said. "That's not an excuse. That's not a reason for us to continue to lose these games."