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Lake Zurich bounces stubborn Schaumburg

Saying the final 1:54 of the Class 4A boys basketball regional semifinal at Wheeling on Tuesday night was wild would be putting it mildly.

Anything that a high school sports fan could want happened in the final two minutes.

When it was all said and done, No. 4 sectional seed Lake Zurich escaped with a 44-41 win over No. 13 Schaumburg to advance to Friday night's finale against St. Viator, which edged Prospect 49-48.

"We thought we had the ballgame put away with the 10-point lead," said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher, whose squad led 41-31 late in the game. "We just didn't make some good decisions down the stretch. We knew they would be physical and scrappy. Sometimes when you play a game already like Schaumburg did (Monday) night, it gets you more prepared for your next one. Hopefully we got some of our jitters out of they way come Friday."

Nick Meyer gave Lake Zurich (23-8) the lead at 41-31 with 1:54 remaining.

Brendan Parker (14 points, 5 rebounds) connected on 2 free throws, which was followed by a 3-point basket by Charlie Quilico after a Bears turnover, pulling the Saxons within 41-36 with 1:20 left.

Will McClaughry (16 points, 7 rebounds) hit the first of 2 free throws for a 42-36 Lake Zurich lead.

Then the real excitement began.

Mike Travlos, who played a strong game and finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds, took a long lead pass from McClaughry and was going in for a dunk. The shot missed, and on the rebound with no Schaumburg players near the basket, Travlos tried to put the ball back in the basket - and in doing so, commited offensive basket interference. While trying to keep his balance, Travlos hung on the rim. After the interference was called, the officials assessed Travlos with a technical foul for hanging on the rim.

Jason Schoo connected on the 2 technical free throws to narrow the score to 42-38 with :43 left.

Jack O'Neill gave the Bears some distance by connecting on 2 free throws with :23 left and a 44-38 lead.

Quilico connected for another 3 to pull Schaumburg within 44-41 with 14.6 left.

Lake Zurich threw the inbounds pass out of bounds, and the Saxons (12-18) still had life.

Schoo misfired on a chance to tie the game - but the ball was tipped back to the Saxons, and Marquis Woodward's shot fell short with :03 left.

Finally, Lake Zurich ran out the clock.

"It's the playoffs and anything can happen," said McClaughry. "This was such a dogfight. We got exactly what we expected. They were really scrappy and just never gave up. I told the others we had to keep our focus and do what we had to do to win the game. We took control of the game early and we were able to stay ahead most of the game."

"That's what you expect from our leader," said Pitcher. "He leads us in so many ways on and off the court. He shows great examples to others."

Lake Zurich sprinted out to a 20-7 lead with six minutes left before halftime on McClaughry's 3-point basket.

The Saxons used a 13-2 run the rest of the quarter to pull within 22-20 at the break.

Parker tied the game at 22 with 2 free throws early in the third quarter before a 3-point basket by Meyer gave the Bears the lead for good at 25-22.

The loss was a tough one for Saxons coach Marty Manning, who ended his one-year stint as the Saxons head coach. Manning's next role will be as Schaumburg's athletic director.

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