Eager Lisle cruises to victory

Like most high school basketball teams, the Lisle boys were eager to finally take to the court for an actual game after preseason practice. Their efforts paid off with a 53-38 victory over Hinckley-Big Rock on Monday night in the first round of the Lisle Thanksgiving Tournament.

"We did pretty well for our first game. There were jitters and excitement. But we kept our cool," said junior Mark McGrath, who scored a game-high 20 points along with 11 rebounds.

The Lions (1-0) shot 6 of 13 from the field en route to a 14-4 advantage after the first eight minutes.

"We brought a lot of energy to the floor. I think we were anxious for our first game," said Lisle coach Mark LaScala. "We saw a lot of fouls early, but we were aggressive. We went on a run in the first half and opened the thing up."

Josh Jamison parted the paint as he hit a layup and that followed with McGrath's layup off a steal, Adalberto Gutierrez's 3-point basket and then a shot by Ryan Gillen to put Lisle up 23-4.

With 1:27 left until halftime, McGrath converted another steal into a layup for the final basket of the first half with Lisle leading 33-12.

Gillen also finished scoring in double digits with 14 points and LaScala said his shot selection in the first half was crucial to the Lions taking control of the game.

The Royals (0-1) found their shooting touch in the second half, making seven of their nine total 3-point baskets during the final two quarters. Nic Mann, who led his team with 11 points, hit a 3 at the buzzer to put the Royals to within 17, 44-27, at the conclusion of the third quarter.

With 3:40 left in the game, Hinckley's Jacob Morsch sank a 3 to put the Royals to within 14. But that was as close as the team could get to the Lions.

LaScala said he wasn't surprised by Hinckley's performance in the second half from the 3-point arc.

"I think that's how they are. They don't have a true post player and we don't have a true post player. Tip your hat to them, they shot pretty well in the second half," he said.

Lisle returns to its tournament with a 7:30 p.m. Wednesday game against University High of Chicago. The Lions got the 2015-16 season off to a strong start Monday and continue to stress what worked for them against the Royals as they try to reach their season goals.

"Team defense and and rebounding are two keys. Offensively, we can score with anyone," McGrath said. "We want to cut down the nets at this tournament. We want to cut down nets all year."