Lisle outscores Westmont from behind arc

It's pretty simple math: If one boys basketball team answers the other's 2-pointers with enough 3-pointers, it will finish on top.

So while Westmont and star center Kyle Domin were tough to slow on Friday night, Lisle still managed to come away with a solid 63-51 Interstate Eight Conference road win by countering with nine 3-pointers and with four players scoring in double figures.

The 6-foot-4 Domin led all scorers with 26 points Friday night in Westmont, but the Lions broke away from a 27-27 tie at the half to improve to 10-8 on the year and 4-1 in conference. Mark McGrath led Lisle with 17 points, but guards Ryan Gillen and Nick Massura each sank a trio of 3s and Adalberto Gutierrez added 15 points, including a 3-pointer that bounced up and rolled around before falling in for a 53-38 lead in the fourth quarter.

"We knew mathematically that us hitting 2s and them hitting 3s was going to be a problem," Sentinels coach Craig Etheridge said.

Lisle coach Mark LaScala was not at all surprised to see Westmont work the ball inside repeatedly to Domin. But he was counting on his team's balance and strong perimeter play to be able to overcome the Sentinels' success inside.

"They had an excellent game plan. Their strength is kind of our under belly, and it was going to be a tough matchup for us with Domin," LaScala said. "But I thought we had the advantage on the perimeter, they had the advantage inside and that's the way it played out. I think we wanted the game to go up and down. When it was going up and down it was in our favor. When it was a walk-it-up slugfest it was in their favor."

Massura opened up the second half with a 3-pointer for the Lions, and midway through the third quarter his second 3 put Lisle on top 37-31. With Gillen adding a long field goal and McGrath 5 points in the quarter, Lisle took a 43-35 lead into the fourth quarter and saw the lead grow to 15 on Gutierrez' long jump shot.

"We worked a lot against a zone this week. We were able to work the ball around and get open looks," said Massura, who finished the night with 14 points. "I mean once we got it in, they just all packed in and we were able to get kick it out and get open 3s."

Lisle's defense also got its hands on a few passes headed for Domin down low, doing all it could to contain the center. Even so, LaScala said he grew tired of seeing the Sentinels center score so often.

"We tried to limit his touches," LaScala said. "I looked up and he had 26 or 28, but I felt like he had 50. He's a strong kid, a nice player. He's a problem."

Freshman Caden Anderson added 13 points for Westmont, but Lisle was able to counter with four players in double figures.

"Our team isn't just one person," McGrath said. "We're a very rounded team. I knew Nick would have a good game against Westmont and Ryan too. And 'Berto' has been playing good all year long. They couldn't key on one guy. We have multiple guys attacking them."