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Defensive numbers add up in Lake Zurich's favor

No, it wasn't a double-double from Lake Zurich senior Andrew Gilbertson.

But he will take it. Officially, it was 6 points and 12 rebounds.

That's good news for Lake Zurich basketball coach Billy Pitcher, who complimented his 6-foot-7 center on his performance late Saturday afternoon at home.

"So you had double the number of rebounds than points,'" Pitcher said to Gilbertson. "That's good, unless it's 2 points and 4 rebounds."

This Lake Zurich team prides itself on play at the defensive end. The Bears (5-2) held visiting Vernon Hills to 5 points in the third quarter and pulled away for a decisive 51-36 win.

When senior Nick Meyer (12 points) landed a 3-pointer early in the first quarter, the Bears were off and running at 7-0.

"We've been working on our defense the whole season," Meyer said. "We bring out a lot of intensity."

The game wasn't a one-sided affair the whole way. Vernon Hills (3-4) had three 3-pointers from the corner from senior forward Jake Helfand, and there was more excitement from this team before the first quarter expired.

Michael Dougherty paced Vernon Hills with 13 points. His first 3-pointer of the game swished through the net after being launched from 40 feet.

"Vernon Hills is such a great three-point shooting team," Pitcher said. "We made some adjustments and even went into a zone."

Although the Cougars never led, they pushed within 4 points twice in the second quarter. Both times, Dougherty hit jumpers to pull his team closer.

Gilbertson opened the second half with a rebound and bucket.

"My job is to get rebounds and set picks," Gilbertson said. "And when I get a good chance, I can score."

Dougherty kept scoring for Vernon Hills as the third quarter kicked off. He scored on a gorgeous drive to the hoop and added a free throw. And then the VH offense shut down the final five minutes of this quarter.

Only a turning shot from 6-7 Eric Weiler in the final half minute stopped the Cougars from being shut out the rest of the quarter.

And when this quarter came to an end, it was time for another buzzer-beating 3-pointer. This time it came from Lake Zurich guard Brett Hensley.

Lake Zurich guard Nick Penny, wearing a mask for the second game in a row to protect his broken nose, led all scorers with 15 points.

"Mask and me and (Michael) Bens look for each other on the court," Meyer said.

Vernon Hills scored the first 5 points of the final quarter. Helfand scored on an old fashioned three-point play to cut the LZ lead to 38-30. Having to foul to stop the clock didn't quite work out for Vernon Hills. The junior Bens didn't score from the floor but hit 8 straight free throws.

"We did a pretty good job today," Pitcher said. "We just need to stay the course."

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