McClaughry and Co. help Lake Zurich get win No. 20

It's hard to be sneaky when you stand 6 feet 7, but that's exactly the way that Lake Zurich senior Will McClaughry hurt host Highland Park Saturday night in a nonconference contest.

McClaughry sneaked by the Giants' stingy defense when he drained a long 3-pointer in the first half. He finished with a team-best 14 points as the Bears hung on for a 49-46 win.

Lake Zurich (20-8) won its 20th game in a season for the first time since 2005, and that was not lost on McClaughry.

"Tonight was definitely big," McClaughry said. "Coach (Billy Pitcher) said in the locker room it was 10 years since it last happened. I was 7. So it's nice to get this done."

The Bears took the lead back after Highland Park (17-6) used a 14-3 run to take a 37-32 lead into the fourth quarter. Luke Norcia, who led all scorers with 16 points, sank one of his four 3-pointers during the Giants' run.

"We got kind of lazy," Pitcher said. "I haven't gotten into the guys like I did there in a long time. But the guys responded, so it says a lot."

Lake Zurich responded with its own rally, which included a 3-pointer from Jack O'Neill (5 points) and a long ball from Nick Meyer (11 points), to regain the lead. The subsequent 13-2 run gave the visitors the lead for good, but it didn't come without dodging a bullet or two down the stretch.

"(Lake Zurich) hit a couple of 3s there and really put us on our heels," Highland Park coach Paul Harris said. "Even with that, we gave ourselves a shot at the end to tie the game."

After the Bears built a 45-39 advantage, the Giants responded with another run to draw within 45-44 on a 3-pointer by David Sachs (11 points). The Giants had a pair of opportunities in the final seconds to tie or take the lead.

The first came with 13 seconds to play, as Norcia broke loose on the side for a baseline 3-pointer that rimmed out. The Giants got the ball back again, but Lake Zurich's Nick Penny picked the pocket of Sachs in the final seconds to help the Bears hang on for the win.

"This is something that we have worked toward," Pitcher said of his team winning 20 games. "When we started, we were the other way around at 7-20. So this really means a lot."