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Rebounds aplenty for Lake Zurich's Penny

A penny doesn't get you much.

Lake Zurich's boys basketball team is receiving great value from its Penny, however.

Nick Penny was money, especially on the boards, during the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament. The 6-foot-1 junior grabbed a tourney-best 28 rebounds over four games in helping the Bears win the championship for the first time in their 19 years going to the tournament.

Penny pulled down 5 rebounds, including 3 on the offensive glass, in Lake Zurich's 71-41 loss to visiting Stevenson on Tuesday night.

Not bad for a point guard.

"He's got a nose for the ball, and he attacks the glass," Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. "You hate guarding him because he always goes for the rebound. You see guys that stand around the perimeter. He always goes in there."

Penny was named to the all-tournament team at Pekin along with senior guard Mike Travlos, who scored 95 points in the four games. When Nick Meyer hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the title game against Plainfield East, it was Penny who delivered the pass. Penny's 14 assists in the tourney ranked third.

His tournament also included his two highest point games of the season. He had a season-best 17 points (6 rebounds) against Lanphier and 16 points (6 rebounds) against Pekin. His best performance on the boards came against Peoria Richwoods in the Bears' opener, as he grabbed 9.

"We'd like for him to shoot it more," Pitcher said after Penny attempted just 2 shots against Stevenson. "We keep talking to him, 'Shoot it. You're open.' "

And Penny can shoot. Last season, he advanced downstate in the three-point contest.

"He's a great shooter," Pitcher said. "But he's a real pass-first guy. His assists-to-turnovers are great. He's 58 (assists) to 14 (turnovers) on the season. It's unbelievable. He just makes good decisions."

In Penny's defense, the Bears' other four starters - Travlos, Meyer, Jack O'Neill and Will McClaughry - all have three-point range. And Penny often yields to his older teammates: three-year varsity players Travlos, O'Neill and McClaughry.

As a sophomore, Penny played in a dozen varsity games.

"He's still feeling his way," Pitcher said. "Even the seniors tell him, 'Shoot the ball more.' "

Lake Zurich (12-3, 2-3 North Suburban Lake), which had a five-game winning streak snapped against Stevenson, hosts Warren on Friday. The Blue Devils are 4-9 and 2-3 in the division after losing to Lake Forest 35-32 on Tuesday.

Johnson remains uncommitted: Stevenson senior guard Matt Johnson picked up a Division-I offer from Chicago State last season but remains uncommitted.

"I've been talking to some D-IIs, D-IIIs," Johnson said. "I'm just looking for the best fit. I'm probably going to take visits after the season. I'm going to take it slow."

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