Lisle survives scare from Mt. Assisi

It was the best of times and the worst of times for Lisle Monday night.

It's a story Lions coach Dan Murray is becoming all too familiar with.

Lisle, seemingly in complete command up 20 points at halftime, survived a late avalanche of turnovers to beat Mt. Assisi 37-34 in the first round of the Lisle Holiday Classic.

Brooke Keller's on-line halfcourt heave came up just short as time expired, brushing the front of the net.

“That's been our MO,” Murray said. “We build a big lead, teams apply pressure and we get in panic mode, start running around and can't stay physically strong and let teams physically dominate us. It's our issue.”

It was astonishing that it came to a shot for overtime, when you consider Mt. Assisi (5-6) trailed 31-14 going into the fourth quarter. But the Eagles forced 14 Lisle turnovers in the fourth quarter, 27 in the second half.

“We're a second-half team. They always come out with a fury in the second half,” Mt. Assisi coach Juan Mendoza said. “With us it's fullcourt, man-to-man pressure.”

Murray knows the book on Lisle by now is that the Lions wilt when pressured. Monday won't change that scouting report any.

Leading 27-7 at half, the Lions managed just two field goals in the second half.

Still, Lisle is 10-2, winner of nine in a row and faces Chicago Christian in tonight's 8 p.m. quarterfinal. Chicago Christian upset third seed Newark.

“When it goes,” Murray said, “it all goes. It's a matter of composure. I guess we can look at it that we know what our weakness is. It's hard for us depth-wise to simulate that pressure in practice, which makes things difficult.”

Lisle looked every bit that of a 10-2 team early on.

The Lions scored the first 14 points of the game, Tara Sarb's second of three 3-pointers giving Lisle that cushion. Sarb scored all 11 of her points in the first half. Lisle also crashed the boards to the tune of 7 offensive rebounds in the first quarter.

Dorian Payne had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Lisle, which also hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 34 points since its season opener.

“It's a little baffling,” Murray said. “When we can be the aggressors and make teams play at our tempo, you see what we can do. When we lose that you see the other side of it. Unfortunately this has been about four games like this. It is what it is.”