Batavia pulls away from Lake Park
With all the success Batavia's football team has every year, it often takes a few weeks for the basketball team to hit its stride.
That's the case again this season for the Bulldogs. But they are showing signs of progress, going from a 56-31 loss to Waubonsie Valley in their previous game to Friday night's 53-45 win over Lake Park to start DuKane Conference play.
"This is our first game I feel we're all back and comfortable and feeling good," Batavia senior Jack Carlson said. "We needed a week of practice. We didn't do too well against Waubonsie. We got into practice and fixed up a couple things and this is a good game to build off."
Luke Sgarbosa got off to a hot start for Lake Park (2-3, 0-1), scoring the first 9 points of the game for the Lancers on a pair of 3-pointers and three free throws after being fouled shooting a 3.
Sgarbosa finished with a game-high 17 points.
"Early on we lost Sgarbosa a little bit," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. "We debated whether to go no help from him at the start, We didn't (help). He keeps proving teams wrong because he burries every shot he takes."
Batavia (4-1, 1-0) pulled even at 9-9 on a Zack Weber basket. Trevor Montiel gave the Lancers one last lead at 11-9 before 3-pointers from Jayden Johnson and Aiden Carlson put Batavia ahead 15-11 after one quarter.
Six different players scored for Batavia in the first quarter.
"We were just trying to play defense, we rely on our defense," Jack Carlson said. "We know our shots are going to fall so we just want to keep running (our offense) until we get the shot we want."
Batavia led throughout the final three quarters but never by more than 9 points. That came at 32-23 early in the third quarter on Ethan Neibch's 3.
Lake Park scored the final eight points of a slow-moving third quarter, pulling within 32-31 going to the fourth.
Batavia made just 2 field goals in the final quarter but pulled away by sinking 16 of 21 free throws.
"That's the sign of early season basketball," Nazos said of the choppy second half. "People are playing hard but not totally in control. We're playing hard but not there yet. They are stumbling a little bit, got hands on guys."
A putback basket from Max Ellenbecker brought the Lancers within 45-41 with 1:22 remaining. The Lancers had a chance to pull closer but missed a point-blank shot down low. Jack Carlson knocked down 2 free throws to make it 47-41, and Lake Park never drew closer.
Johnson led Batavia with 15 points, Carlson scored 11 and Weber added 7.
"Jack Carlson did some things unnoticed that were good," Nazos said. "Got us in things, took what was given, didn't overdo anything."
Montiel joined Sgarbosa in double figures for the Lancers with 12 points and led both teams with 8 rebounds.
Lake Park outrebounded Batavia 26-19 and only committed 7 turnovers but couldn't overcome 35.1 percent shooting from the field (13 for 37). The teams were near identical at the line - 16 of 23 for the Lancers to Batavia's 16-22 - but the Bulldogs knocked down nine from 3-point range to three for the Lancers.
"As the game went on we got a little better with it," Nazos said of his team's defense. "It's a good win against a solid team. We got better than we did last week. Our shot selection was much better in the second half. We're trying to get back in rhythm. We're miles ahead of where we were last Saturday."