Maine South's halftime strategy works in win over Loyola
Even an old coach can pull out some new tricks.
Maine South boys basketball coach Tony Lavorato Jr. has been coaching for 23 years. But he said he would have to go back to his freshman coaching days for the situation he was in Friday.
With new game and safety precautions in place, Lavorato opted to keep his team in the bleachers at halftime. He then borrowed a large grease board from host Loyola Academy and proceeded to draw up the second half strategy for his Hawks.
The procedure worked to perfection as Maine South erupted in the second half for a 47-36 win over Loyola in Wilmette.
"Everybody was checking us out" Lavorato said. "I brought a small board, but the big one belonged to Loyola. They rolled it in and I said 'Beautiful. Thank you.' "
Milan Adamovic and Nikola Zelenovic each hit a pair of 3-pointers to open the third quarter. Sean Gallery then stepped up as Maine South went on a 16-4 run to take a 34-23 lead with 2:17 left in the quarter.
"Coach just said take your time and limit the turnovers," said Gallery, who scored 11 of his 17 points in the third quarter.
"It is all a mental game and be smart with the ball. I moved to the five when Marko (Anderson) picked up his fourth foul. I just had to communicate better and then we went on a run."
Lavorato loved the way his team came out in the third quarter.
"Our guys have been champing at the bit," Lavorato said. "We have four guys who are looking to play college basketball. And each of them made a huge contribution in the third quarter."
It wasn't that way in the first half. Despite some very uneven play, Maine South trailed 19-18 at the break.
The Hawks took just 11 shots in the first half while turning the ball over 11 times. But Maine South's ability to not allow Loyola to get inside for some easy baskets kept the Hawks in the hunt.
But the greaseboard and some key shooting and attacking the basket was the difference as Maine South was able to erase a trio of consecutive regional losses to Loyola.
"We wanted to come here and get some revenge and start the season off right," said Zelenovic, who finished with 10 points, thanks to a pair of 3s.
"We are happy to do this as a team. This was a great win for us."