Warren 61, Lake Forest 57 ( 2 OT)
Just as no starting lineup is certain for Warren's boys basketball team, neither is victory.
Definitely not recently, and that hasn't been the case in recent years.
Since starting the season 5-0, the Blue Devils have struggled to win consistently, and Friday night they had to fight hard again to pull out a win at jam-packed Lake Forest.
Warren prevailed in double overtime, 61-57, over a Scouts squad that just last week handed Zion-Benton its first loss.
"This was the best defensive game we've played in a while," said coach Chuck Ramsey, whose Blue Devils were tied 49-49 at the end of regulation and 52-52 after the first OT. "They've got some really nice skilled kids. For 32 minutes we held them to 49 points in this gym, which I think is good defense."
Warren improved to 10-6 overall and 4-4 in the North Suburban Lake Division, while Lake Forest fell to 10-6 and 5-3. The Blue Devils had won just four of their previous 10 games, a reason why Ramsey has continued to tinker with his starting lineup.
Brandon Paul was back in the starting five, after coming off the bench in Warren's previous game. The Illinois recruit was joined by Aaron Montgomery, Jake Anderson, James Poliquin and Jason Warneke.
Paul led all scorers with 28 points, including 7 in the two overtimes, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Poliquin had 9 points, including two big baskets in the second OT.
"Our lineup is fluid," Ramsey said. "You produce, you play. Usually after 15 games, you know (the starting lineup). But usually we haven't gone in 9-6."
The Blue Devils won despite big-time struggles at the foul line, where they made just 12 of 29 attempts (41 percent). They were 4 of 15 in overtime.
Paul, a 77-percent foul shooter coming in, was 7 of 14.
"I usually make most of mine," he said, "so I was pretty disappointed with my free-throwing shooting tonight."
Lake Forest, meanwhile, went 28 of 33 (85 percent) from the stripe.
Matt Vogrich led the Scouts with 19 points -- which is about what he averages -- but Warren made him work. Vogrich was 8 of 9 from the foul line. Andy Timson (13 points) was also 8 of 9 from the line.
"We just wanted to deny them," Paul said of the Scouts' top two threats. "Coach told us -- me, Jason (Warneke) and David (Duncan) -- to guard them tight and not let them shoot in their own gym because they can get hot. We did a pretty good job on them."
Poliquin scored the first two baskets in the second OT to give Warren the lead for good. Paul's breakaway dunk off a feed from Warneke sealed it.
Warren committed only 13 turnovers in beating Lake Forest for the second time this season. Duncan added 12 points.
"We played pretty well and we were persistent," Ramsey said. "We had stretches where we had a lot of balls in and out -- good shots that we missed -- but we kept competing."