O'Neill's big shot, fourth-quarter 'D' lift Lake Zurich

Jack O'Neill's 3-point shot from beyond halfcourt set Friday night's game on its heels.

It not only gave his Lake Zurich team a slim third-quarter lead, but it set the stage for a very odd fourth quarter.

Yes, visiting Warren was still within a basket heading to the final quarter of this North Suburban Lake clash. Maybe Lake Zurich assistant coach Don Rowley, he of Hersey High School fame, explained it best.

"I've never seen that in my 44 years of coaching,'' Rowley said.

Warren (4-10, 2-4) was shut out the entire fourth quarter in this sluggish offensive game won by the Bears 36-23.

Offense just wasn't in style on Friday night.

Lake Zurich (13-3, 3-3) had the quick start. O'Neill opened the scoring with a normal 3-pointer and leading scorer Mike Travlos (16 points) joined in on the fun. It was soon 10-2.

"We started out really hot from the floor,'' Travlos said. "In the second quarter, we got complacent."

That second quarter was Lake Zurich's turn to slow down its scoring, as Nick Meyer's 3-pointer accounted for all of the Lake Zurich points. In the meantime, Warren's outside shooting specialist, Jake Falish, hit three straight 3-pointers and Warren was back in the game. Lake Zurich led by a single point at halftime (16-15).

"Warren picked up the pressure,'' said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher.

Warren got a third-quarter boost from 6-foot-3 junior Zach Schultz. He had all of his 6 points in the quarter and hit the boards to the tune of 8 rebounds.

"Schultz played really hard,'' said Warren coach Ryan Webber. "We need other guys to battle on the glass like he did."

Schultz's final bucket seemed to close the third quarter with the Blue Devils up a point at 23-22.

And then O'Neill hit the jackpot.

"I did the same thing against Libertyville,'' O'Neill said. "That was also a bank shot."

Pitcher recalled other long-range shots from O'Neill.

"He's our big-shot guy,'' Pitcher said. "He had a game-winner against Highland Park. His shot tonight gave us a lift."

Travlos gave the Bears some breathing room with a 3-point play early in the final quarter. His free throw gave the home team a 30-23 lead.

"I got a steal and started running the floor,'' Travlos said. "No one stopped me."

Still, the Blue Devils did not find the basket in the final quarter.

"We self-destructed,'' Webber said. "We turned the ball over and didn't execute at all. But you have to score to win the game. Our defense has been really good."

Travlos had double the points of anyone on his team. Nick Meyer checked in with 7 points. Falish and Schultz had 15 of Warren's 23 points.