Lake Zurich reverts to form, tops Elgin

Lake Zurich got back to basics after a disappointing loss to Palatine on Saturday night.

The Bears came out with a different look and intensity on Monday morning as they rolled past Elgin 59-38 in their own Martin Luther King tournament. The Maroons played without one of their starters, Lavion Baldwin, for a fourth straight game.

"We really played hard and inspired with fundamentals in the first half," Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. "We wanted to get back to the basics, get back to the fundamentals.

"We did a great job and I was pleased on how we came out of the gate."

Mike Travlos led the Bears (16-4, 3-1) with 15 points off the bench. Nick Penny added 12 points, Jack O'Neill chipped in with 10 and Will McClaughry had 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Lake Zurich jumped out to a 7-0 lead and led 17-2 after the opening quarter. They kept the ball rolling in the second quarter and outscored Elgin 25-6 for a 42-8 margin at the break.

The Maroons (5-14, 0-4) fared much better in the second half as Desmond Douglas scored 7 of his 10 points and Chaquille Bennett added 7 points and 6 boards.

Baldwin was dressed on the bench but did not play due to coach's decision.

"It's all up to him," Elgin coach Mike Sitter. "He gives us 17.5 points per game."

Against Lake Zurich, it just took Elgin a while to get going.

"I know it's late in the year, but we're still searching for an identity on how to mix players in," Sitter said. "We were stagnant in the first half, but the second half we moved the ball a lot better. We just need to come out better."