Seniors propel Lake Zurich past Warren in Lake finale
It took a little jump start to get the Lake Zurich boys basketball team going Friday night against Warren.
But with four seniors starting on senior night, it was just a matter of time before the Bears got rolling as they pulled away from the Blue Devils in the third quarter en route to a 66-51 North Suburban Conference victory in the Lake Division season finale for both teams.
Lake Zurich (19-9, 8-4) only led 21-18 after one half as an inside basket by Warren senior Maurice Chambers (game-high 19 points) just beat the halftime buzzer by one second.
But that last-second hoop did not help the Blue Devils (11-15, 5-7) carry any momentum into the third quarter as the Bears were ready to pounce on them from the outset of the second half.
Senior forward Nick Meyer (team-high 18 points) was a real catalyst to building a quick lead as Meyer's back-to-back 3-pointers gave Lake Zurich its biggest lead at 29-20 less than two minutes into the third quarter.
Warren could not contain the Bears' impressive offense in that pivotal period as 2 free throws by senior Nick Penny (16 points) capped a 16-3 run, giving Lake Zurich a commanding 39-23 lead about four minutes later.
"We were a little disappointed how we finished the half, and I'm really proud of how the guys responded," said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher, whose team outscored Warren 21-12 in the third quarter. "Our guys did a good job of finding him (Meyer) and getting him open, and we showed a lot of extra effort that made the difference at the defensive end."
Warren did try to hang tough as a 3-point play by Juwan Peterson-Perry (14 points) cut the lead to 42-30 entering the fourth quarter.
But that was as close as the Blue Devils would get the rest of the way as a 3-pointer by Meyer, and a fast-break basket by Penny made the score 47-30 with 7:05 to play.
"We needed to pick up the focus in the second half, and offensively we were all just sharing the ball very well," said Meyer, whose team hosts Highland Park on Saturday evening. "We're all pretty excited to try to get our 20th win, and we're looking forward to the post-season. But we're not looking past our next game."
Sophomore Ryan Kutsor joined Meyer and Penny in double figures with 10 points while junior teammate Michael Bens added 9 points.
Coming off injury, it was the first game of the 2015-16 season for Lake Zurich senior Tim Spears, who started and scored 3 points. Senior Cam Long also returned to the lineup for the first time in about three weeks for the Bears.
"Cam Long came in and did a really good job taking care of the ball," added Pitcher. "And he gives us a calming presence when he's on the floor."
Other than Chambers and Peterson-Perry, Warren was unable to get its balanced offensive attack going in the contest.
"We did not do a very good job of closing out on their shooters and when they missed we did not box out very well," said Warren coach Jon Jasnoch, whose team trailed 10-6 after one quarter. "They executed their offense very well and they knocked down open shots. He (Meyer) got going, and he kept it going."