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Boys basketball: Lake Station pulls off big GSSC road win at Wheeler
Updated: May 9, 2012 10:05AM
VALPARAISO — A third quarter run turned a Wheeler lead into a Lake Station victory, as the Eagles defeated the Bearcats 56-45 in an early-season GSSC matchup.
“To come into a gym like this, with the winning attitude that they have over here … they’re a tough team,” said Lake Station (2-0, 2-0 GSSC) head coach Bryon Clouse. “We really challenged our guys at halftime and were fortunate enough to come away with the win.”
Just before the first half ended, Lake Station sophomore Dwayne Haden drained a 3-pointer, making the Eagles’ deficit just one, as the Bearcats had a 25-24 lead.
Wheeler opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Christian Sikoski, who lead all scorers with 17 points. But Lake Station would outscore Wheeler 32-17 over the rest of the game to earn the win.
“We told them what we expected,” said Clouse. “In the first half, they didn’t do everything. Then at halftime, we reminded them of those things, and we had that happen in the second half.”
While the Eagles’ took over the second half, the Bearcats struggled under a high-pressure Lake Station defense.
“We knew that they were going to come out and pressure us harder in the second half,” said Wheeler (1-2, 1-1) first-year head coach Tom Johnson. “I don’t think we executed as well in the second half, but a lot of that had to do with their defense.”
The first half was a much different story, particularly in the second quarter, as Wheeler went on a 12-2 run that put them ahead 21-16, four minutes before halftime. Jesse Kellar was the main catalyst for the run, scoring seven of those points.
“Jesse was really good for us this evening. It was, by far, his best game of the year. It wasn’t just his shots … I was really happy with how he handled the ball for us,” said Johnson. “In the first half, I think we did well defensively and we executed well on the offensive end.”
But in the second half, Wheeler hit just 9 of their 35 field goal attempts (26 percent), allowing the Eagles to retake the lead for good.
Lake Station was led offensively by Demetrius Adams, who came off the bench with a team-high 12 points. Three other starters — Ricky Garcia (11 points), Nate Flores (10 points) and Hasonie Walters (10 points) — also scored in double figures for the Eagles.
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