Lake Park overtakes Saints in 2nd half
Since suffering the loss of junior forward Devin Johnston 10 games ago, the Lake Park girls basketball team has been looking for other players to consistently fill the offensive void.
The Lancers began jelling without Johnston in their Jan. 29 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South and have been playing better basketball since.
Saturday afternoon was no exception in Roselle, as Lake Park weathered an early St. Charles East storm to earn a 58-46 triumph.
Junior Samantha Arnold played like her usual self, scoring 27 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. The supplemental help, though, came from senior Marissa Pasquini and sophomore Carly Willert, who each added 12 points to help lift the Lancers (21-7, 8-2 Upstate Eight Conference) to victory.
"That's what's been happening in the last few games. The team's really stepping up," Lake Park coach Lisa Smith said. "You can focus on Sam all you want, she's still going to get her points. Every game it's been two or three different kids, and that's just made a huge difference.
"It's all happening at the right time."
Lake Park's defense failed to match its offensive effort in the first half, as the Lancers surrendered 32 points and allowed St. Charles East to shoot 50 percent from the field, heading to the locker room in a 32-32 tie.
"I thought we were getting down the floor well, and once we got past that front line of their press, I thought we got some really good, easy baskets down the floor," Saints coach Lori Drumtra said.
Lake Park switched its defense to a 1-2-2 zone after halftime that gave St. Charles East (14-13, 7-3) fits. The visitors managed just 7 points in each of the final two quarters, giving the Lancers a comfortable cushion down the stretch.
"To give up 32 points in a half, that's not very good defense," Smith said. "I think that they saw that was the difference in the game. We got back in the paint, stopped their transition on offense, so I think the kids just figured it out."
Arnold's 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave Lake Park a 46-39 advantage heading into the fourth. The Lancers pushed their lead to 10 points with 5:18 to go, when Pasquini nailed a jumper from just inside the arc to make it a 50-40 game.
Three Saints scored in double figures, with junior Natasha Lalos pacing St. Charles East with 14. Sophomore guard Jamie Rust chipped in with 12.