Lisle stopped short in regional
BEECHER - It didn't take Lisle long to realize that its first-round opponent in the Class 2A Beecher regional Wednesday night might just be better than its record and seed indicate.
Southland College Prep took to the court with an 11-14 record, a nine seed in the sectional and zero playoff wins in the school's relative short existence. But the Eagles surprised the No. 4 Lions while building an 8-point lead at the half and then hung on for dear life - despite some shaky free-throw shooting - to pull out a 62-59 win that ends the Lions' season at 13-14.
Six-foot-3 junior center Ameka Agaere had 18 points and 20 rebounds and guard Wesley Woods knocked down all four of his 3-point shots in the first half on his way to 18 points for Southland. But the underdogs needed every point they could muster on the night as the Lions kept fighting back. The Lions closed to within 39-37 late in the third quarter and kept the game close the rest of the way.
Lisle almost pulled off an improbable comeback in the final minutes before Jay McGrath's contested 3-point shot at the buzzer hit off the rim and allowed the Eagles to escape with a 3-point win and advance to Friday's regional final in Beecher against top-seeded Westmont.
"It was a tough game. They were better than I thought," said McGrath, who closed out his senior season with a 20-point, 5-assist game. "At halftime I think we were down 8 and our coach (Mark LaScala) said to win the third quarter. We knew that this could be our last game and we gave it everything we got. It was a battle out there."
Fellow senior Elisha Basnight was also a little taken aback at how well the Eagles came out and played on Wednesday but, like McGrath who came alive in the second half to help give his team a chance. Basnight hit a big 3 in the fourth quarter to get within 55-51 with just under three minutes left.
"They really surprised us in the first half with the 3s that they were making. And they killed us on the glass," said Basnight, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half.
While the Lions comeback was aided by the Eagles making just 11 of 29 foul shots, Agaere and Brenna Syas turned missed free throws into second-chance buckets that proved huge for the victors.
"I think if we play them 10 times we go 5-5 probably," LaScala said. "It was a great high school game. Their athleticism gave us trouble. We had trouble keeping them out of the paint … down there in the trenches they were quick off their feet and we had trouble rebounding. (Agaere) was a beast. You have to give the credit to them."
Junior guard Demetrius King Jr. admitted Southland came out with something extra to prove
"In the first half they outworked us. Coach told us to rebound and we didn't do that," he said. "Coach said their best play was a missed shot. Everybody was crashing for the rebounds, we didn't box out and they got the rebounds which led to open 3s and that's what happened."