Stay Connected with YourSeason
Boys Basketball: North Chicago takes down Lakes
Aaron Simpson and Kurt Hall combined for 55 points as host North Chicago beat Lakes 90-75 on Friday to clinch the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division title.
The Warhawks are 10-0 in the division, 16-3 overall and play Lake Zurich on Monday night.
Lakes is 8-2 in division and 15-8 overall and plays at Grant next week Saturday.
The Warhawks led 42-35 at halftime and the lead got up to 19 before the Eagles pulled within 74-66 with 4:41 to play.
North Chicago then went on a 14-4 run to secure the win and the title.
“Out of four quarters, we probably played two,” said winning coach Gerald Coleman. “In the first half, we were very slow, very sluggish.
“We weren’t blocking out or playing aggressive defense. We tightened it up in the second half. Our game is pressure. Lakes is a very patient team. We couldn’t let them set up and run their plays.
Hall’s 27 points was a career high, and he also grabbed 12 boards. Kevonte Curry ha 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. JaVairius Mays had nine points, nine rebounds and five assists.
“Hall (a sophomore) is going to be a great player,” his coach said. “I’m not worried about this game. We’re right where I need us to be.
“We have some tough games left on the schedule (Warren, Lake Zurich, Morgan Park from Chicago and LaLumiere from Indiana) to get us ready for the tournament.”
Lakes got 18 points from Jay-Jay Elvir. Center Justin Schneider added 12 points and nine rebounds.
“I like the way we competed,” said Eagles coach Chris Snyder. “We had a couple of stretches where we lost our composure. That’s where a team like that gets you.
“And then, of course, then you have a player like Simpson, who’s hitting shots all over the court.”
Simpson was 11-of-21 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. He also had eight assists.
As a team, North Chicago was 35-of-66 shooting compared to 28-of-64 for Lakes.
“The kids were looking forward to this game,” said Snyder. “They like the challenge. They like the big-game atmosphere.
“Hopefully, we’ll see them again in the postseason.”
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment