Stay Connected with YourSeason
Boys Basketball: Lincoln-Way West eases past underclass Shepard
Updated: December 26, 2011 10:20PM
Lincoln-Way West never lost concentration against a team that was easy to overlook.
In a game of most unusual circumstances, the Warriors demonstrated their own will and pride.
“We weren’t going to lose,” West senior Gino Manzella said. “We were confident the whole way. We just all stepped up and took care of what we had to to win.”
The Warriors held off the short-handed Astros 65-58 in the opener of pool play in the Medieval Classic at Lincoln-Way East.
Just one member of Shepard’s varsity team dressed for the game, as the other 13 were being punished for missing practice last week. Twelve members of the Astros’ sophomore squad were elevated to varsity.
“A group of them decided after their last final to skip practice,” Shepard coach Tony Chiuccariello said. “We teach life through basketball. If you don’t show up to your job, you get punished.”
The Astro fill-ins hung tough. Shepard (3-7) was within 48-46 with 5:45 left before West (2-10), behind four points from Manzella (15 points, 6 rebounds) and five from Kevin White (15 points, 5 rebounds), went on an 11-2 run to put it away.
“I’ve been coaching a long time and I’ve never been in a situation like this,” West coach Eric Long said. “We’ve had four or five games we led almost the whole way and lost, so we just wanted a win.”
Luke Horvath scored 10 points for West.
Tyquan Dinkins (16 points), Jacob Littleton (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Kyle Longfield (10 points, 7 rebounds) led Shepard.
The Astros could not overcome their massive size disadvantage late. But Chiuccariello hopes his varsity regulars, who watched the game from the stands behind the bench, gained more than the team lost.
“As a coach, it hurts to see us lose this way,” Chiuccariello said. “But if you’re a true educator, you’ve got to put that first. I’m hoping the kids learned a lesson.”
© 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