Lisle grabs another league victory
If you can get them, points off turnovers are a significant weapon in the hands of any basketball team.
That is, if you can get them. Usually that's a big if.
The Lisle boys got them on Friday against Peotone, especially in the first half. Good thing, too, because the Blue Devils dropped six 3-pointers in the second half to make the 58-45 Lions' win seem closer than it actually was.
The Lions managed to score 15 points off of 16 Peotone turnovers, including 10 in the first half. The latter were a big reason Lisle was able to put together a 23-3 run that pushed its lead to 25-5 with four minutes to go in the first half.
A three-point play by senior guard Demetrius King Jr. with 2:16 left in the game - a layup off a steal, a foul and the freebie to make the score 54-38 - all but squashed the Blue Devils' hopes of a stunning comeback.
"I thought we did a good job converting points off turnovers," Lisle coach Mark LaScala said. "We haven't necessarily done that this year. I thought we were making good decisions on those breaks."
King led the Lions with 15 points and added 7 rebounds. Senior forward Anthony Raineri nearly recorded a double-double, with 9 points and 8 rebounds, 3 offensive.
They agreed that yeoman's work when the turnover opportunity presented itself was key.
"We knew they couldn't keep up with us if we pushed the pace," King said. "As soon as we got the ball, we saw who was open and hit the open man."
The Lions started the second half with a 13-3 spurt that seemed to all but seal the win. That was punctuated by a pair of Raineri free throws off a Peotone turnover.
But then Lisle (8-8, 5-0 Illinois Central Eight Conference) caught the turnover bug, committing 6 in the third quarter and another 5 in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils used the 3-ball to craft a 12-1 run at the end of the third quarter, and an 11-6 jump at the start of the fourth.
After a technical foul called on the Lions, Peotone sophomore guard Mason Kibelkis hit a pair of free throws to cut Lisle's lead to 49-38.
But a layup by senior guard Raymond Bandzoumouna and King's three-point play put an end to that.
"They beat off us off the line in the second half," Raineri said. "We were getting sloppy with it, but we picked it up."
Rebounding was another big piece for Lisle. They grabbed 31 boards (10 offensive), compared to just 15 for the Blue Devils. The Lions also shot 43 percent - despite making but one 3-pointer, from Bandzoumouna to start the big 23-3 first-half run.
The Peotone game was a good tuneup for what is going to be a tough stretch next week for the Lions, what with games against both Coal City and Streator, albeit at home.
"Huge week coming up," LaScala said. "Two big games coming up and then we'll have seen everyone in the league, if we can get through next week. I think we'll have a much better idea of where everyone sits a week from tonight."