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Boys Basketball: Oak Lawn gets a measure of revenge vs Oak Forest
There’s nothing like a little payback for Oak Lawn.
The Spartans registered their first win of the season, dropping host Oak Forest 65-29 in an early season South Suburban rematch Friday night.
“We wanted revenge,” Oak Lawn forward Martin Einikis said. “(Oak Forest) beat us by 30 earlier this year at the Crete-Monee tournament.”
Clinging to a 25-20 lead at the half, the Spartans (1-5, 1-2) knew the game was to be won with relentless defense. The Spartans answered the bell, holding Oak Forest to nine second-half points.
Oak Lawn guards Lyndell Johnson (16 points) and Jacob Campbell (10) rigorously played the passing lanes and combined for eight steals.
“I thought I had a little something against their guards,” Johnson said. “We’ve been working on a lot of ball pressure in practice. It worked for us tonight.”
The Bengals (4-3, 2-1) were within striking distance early in the third, down 29-25, but after a few steals and easy transition buckets by Johnson and Campbell, the rout was on.
Oak Forest’s Tim Loeding was the lone offeansive threat for the Bengals. The senior forward pulled down seven boards and scored 15 points with a variety of post moves. Loeding scored 10 of those in the first half, and appeared to be having his way against a small Oak Lawn frontline, but the Spartans perimeter pressure limited his second-half touches.
Oak Lawn’s Einikis registered a double-double. The junior showed a diverse game, hitting from distance and scoring around the hoop to finish with 15 points and 10 rebounds. “We were really starting to feel some pressure to get our first win,” said Einikis. “It feels good to get back on track.”
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