2015-2016 LAKE ZURICH
BASKETBALL
DEFEND – REBOUND – RUN
STAY THE COURSE!
2015-2016 Schedule & Results
Date
Nov 23
Nov 24
Nov 25
Nov 27
Nov 28
Opponent
Waukegan
Carmel
Grant
North Lawndale
Hoffman Estates
Location
Grant Thanksgiving
Grant Thanksgiving
Grant Thanksgiving
Grant Thanksgiving
Grant Thanksgiving
Result Record Top Scorer Rebounds Assists
W53-47 1-0
Penny 22
Penny 10 Penny 6
W72-58 2-0
Penny 16
Penny 8 Bens 7
W62-61ot 3-0
Penny 23
Penny 9 Penny 6
L64-54 3-1
Penny 18
Meyer 7 Gilbertson 5
L44-28 3-2
Meyer 11 Trybula 5 Penny 3
Dec 4
Dec 5
Dec 16
Dec 18
Dec 28
Dec 29
Dec 29
Dec 29
Lake Forest
Vernon Hills
Stevenson
Libertyville
Freeport
Mt. Carmel
Richwoods
Lanphier
Home
Home
Stevenson
Home
Pekin Holiday
Pekin Holiday
Pekin Holiday
Pekin Holiday
W40-35
W51-36
W47-41
W50-37
W48-46
W38-37
W55-44
L 61-56
4-2
5-2
6-2
7-2
8-2
9-2
10-2
10-3
Penny 14
Penny 15
Meyer 22
Penny 19
Penny 15
Meyer 13
Penny 18
Meyer 22
Meyer 7 Hensley 3
Gilbertson 12 Penny 3
Meyer 9 Penny 5
Penny 12 Bens 4
Meyer 6 Hensley 5
Penny 6 Penny 5
Penny 10 Bens 3
Trybula 7 Bens 3
Jan 5
Jan 8
Jan 9
Jan 14
Jan 16
Jan 16
Zion
Mundelein
Rich-Burton
Streamwood
Maine East
Addison Trail
Zion
Home
R-B-MLK
Streamwood-MLK
Home-MLK
Home-MLK
L61-50
W71-47
W44-38
W 49-37
W 44-42
W 45-26
10-4
11-4
12-4
13-4
14-4
15-4
Meyer 18
Meyer 15
Penny 15
Penny 19
Bens 17
Penny 13
Penny 7
Kutsor 8
Penny 6
Penny 5
Meyer 9
Penny 6
Bens 3
Kutsor 4
Kutsor 4
Hensley 4
Meyer 4
Bens 3
Jan 18
Niles North
Home-MLK
W61-58ot 16-4
Penny 23
Penny 6
Kutsor 4
Jan 26
Lake Forest
L41-36
16-5
Kutsor 9
Gilbertson 6
Jan 30
Batavia
Lake Forest
Batavia Night of
Hoops
L64-62ot 16-6
Penny 32
Kutsor 5
Feb 2
Feb 5
Feb 6
Feb 9
Feb 12
Feb 19
Feb 20
Zion-Benton
Warren
Mundelein
Stevenson
Libertyville
Warren
Highland Park
Home
Warren
Mundelein
Home
Libertyville
Home
Horseshoe Shootout
L 62-51
W 53-48
W 53-33
L 52-40
L 42-41
W 66-51
W 48-21
16-7
17-7
18-7
18-8
18-9
19-9
20-9
Meyer 20
Kutsor 20
Penny 20
Meyer 16
Penny 12
Meyer 18
Penny 15
Gilbertson 7 Penny 2
Feb 23
Mar 1
Mar 4
Mar 9
Mar 11
Antioch
McHenry
Lake Park
Fremd
Conant
Antioch
McHenry Regional
McHenry Regional
Fremd Sectional
Fremd Sectional
W 67-43
W 52-42
W 54-45
W 38-37
L59-48ot
21-9
22-9
23-9
24-9
24-10
Meyer 19 Penny 7 Penny 7
Penny 20 Penny 13 Penny 5
Penny 18 Meyer 6 Meyer 3
Penny 14 Kutsor 8 Penny 6
Penny 3
Penny 4
Meyer 6 Penny 5
Penny 8 Chmiel 4
Gilbertson 5 Hensley 3
Penny 9 Meyer 4
Gilbertson 7 Penny 4
Penny 6 Meyer 5
Penny, Bens 18 Penny 8 Penny 5
Team Accomplishments
24 wins, 2nd most in school history
Pekin Holiday Tournament, 2nd place
Lake Zurich MLK Champions
IHSA 4A Regional Champions
IHSA 4A Sweet 16 Qualifier
Individual Accolades
Nick Penny
-Grant Thanksgiving, All Tournament Team
-Daily Herald Player of the Week, December 2015
-Pekin Holiday Tournament, All Tournament Team
-MVP of Lake Zurich MLK Classic
-All-Conference, NSC
-All Area, Daily Herald
-All Lake County, Chicago Tribune
-All State, IBCA 4th Team
Nick Meyer
-Lake Zurich MLK Classic, All-Tournament Team
-All-Conference, NSC
-All Area, Daily Herald
-All Lake County, Chicago Tribune
Michael Bens
-All Conference Honorable Mention, NSC
Andrew Gilbertson
-NSC Sportsmanship Award
LAKE COUNTY BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Patricia Babcock McGraw
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKELAKE ZURICH BEARS
coach: Billy Pitcher, 6th season (79-73 overall)
Last year: 23-9 (7-7 North Suburban Lake)
Last year's tournament: Lost in regional final to St. Viator, 48-42.
Key players lost: G Mike Travlos (Hillsdale), F Will McClaughry (Loras), G Jack O'Neill.
Key players returning: G Nick Penny, sr., F Nick Meyer, sr., C Andrew Gilbertson, sr., F Cam Long,
sr., F Karl Gerlach, sr.
Newcomers: G Michael Bens, jr., G Brian Chmiel, jr., G Brett Hensley, jr., F Andrew Amft, jr., F Chris
Trybula, jr.
Outlook: Here was the daunting reality that Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher faced at the end of last
season: he needed to replace 3 starters in Mike Travlos, Will McClaughry and Jack O'Neill who were
all-conference selections and combined to average 44 points per game. "That definitely had me
concerned," Pitcher said. Then, returning senior guard Nick Penny kicked it up a notch. "Nick Penny
has been great this summer and fall," Pitcher said. "As a head coach or an assistant, I have never
been around a kid that makes everyone better like he does and he does it so quietly." Penny, a doeverything guard, is being heavily recruited at the Division III level and has some Division II schools
showing interest as well. Penny's classmate, forward Nick Meyer, has been shooting the ball well and
is the team's top returning scorer. He averaged 8 points per game. "Both (Penny and Meyer) know
nothing but winning as they led the sophomore team to 25 wins two years ago and were starters on
our 23-win team last year," Pitcher said. "They expect to win every time out." Meyer is getting Division
III looks as is center Andrew Gilbertson. Both Meyer and Gilbertson are also volleyball players who
can jump well. Junior Michael Bens will likely start at shooting guard and the fifth starting spot could
be filled by four or five different players. Senior Tim Spears (torn patella), who was last year's sixth
man, and sophomore Peter DiCerbo (ACL) will add to the competition for that spot when they return
in February. "Last year, we went six or seven deep but I feel confident going at least 10 deep, even
deeper when (Spears and DiCerbo return)," Pitcher said. "I am looking forward to the season with
these guys. They all have good attitudes, work ethic and are also tough and confident."
Opener: Monday 5 p.m. vs. Waukegan at Grant Thanksgiving tournament.
Balance a key as Lake Zurich tops Waukegan
Patricia Babcock McGraw
In its regional final game against St. Viator last year, Lake Zurich's boys basketball team
tried to live a little too much by the 3-pointer. And the Bears, who went cold from long
range, wound up dying by it. They lost that game and were done for the season.
Having a more balanced offense is definitely a focus for Lake Zurich this season.But that
doesn't mean the Bears will stop shooting 3-pointers all together. Far from it. Lake Zurich
drained 11 three-pointers and attempted 24 altogether in a come-from-behind, 53-47
victory over Waukegan in the opening game of the Grant Thanksgiving tournament.
"We think we have a lot of good shooters on this team," said Lake Zurich senior point guard Nick Penny, who scored
a game-high 22 points, including 3 three-pointers. He also had 10 rebounds and 6 assists. "But we can't live by the
3. That ended up burning us in the playoffs last year. We had a lot of good shooters last year, too. But if you go cold,
that's how you lose. We settled for outside shots, we started missing and they (St. Viator) beat us in a really close
game.
"We want to be able to get to the basket, too."
The Bears did that against Waukegan, and once the defense collapsed, they would often kick the ball back out to
open shooters who were all set up beyond the arc. Junior guard Michael Bens (8 points) hit back-to-back 3-pointers
late in the fourth quarter to put Lake Zurich, which trailed for most of the game, up for good.
"Michael Bens is a key player for us and that second 3 he hit was really big and I'm so happy for him that he was
able to knock that down. That was big for his confidence because this is really his first varsity game (as a starter),"
Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. "I'm just proud of our guys that they stayed the course when we were down.
We were going hard, we kept shooting and it worked out.
"We have a lot of shooters out there. We start four 3-point shooters (Michael Bens, Nick Meyer, Nick Penny and
Chris Trybula), and sometimes we'll have five on the floor. Meyer, who finished with 12 points, had 3 three-pointers.
Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw said he wishes he could have scouted Lake Zurich beforehand, just to get a better
feel for who the most dangerous 3-point shooters are.
"We were expecting that (kind of 3-point shooting)," Ashlaw said. "But with better scouting, you know who their guys
are a little bit more and our guys would understand where screens are coming from. The first games are a little more
on a wing and a prayer."
Waukegan wasn't sure what to expect out of a majority of its rotation either. The Bulldogs start freshman Bryant
Brown but play fellow freshmen Ja'Dyn Brown and Jordan Brown heavy minutes as well. Bryant Brown finished with
12 points, just behind a team-high 15 points from junior Carson Newsome. "I'm pleased and proud," Ashlaw said.
"Obviously, we want to win. But this is a process. This is going to take time. This is going to be learning with three
freshmen on the floor."
Lake Zurich takes advantage of slow Carmel start
Don't worry, Carmel Catholic fans. Just a hunch, but your varsity boys basketball team is
going to win its share of games this season. Especially if it plays like it did in the second
half Tuesday evening in Fox Lake.
In the interim, however, there is one thing that coach Zach Ryan and his troops need to
address.
"It's been a theme for us dating back to last season where we still need to figure out how
to start strong," Ryan said after the Corsairs played ferociously in the fourth quarter but
ended up on the short end of a 72-58 decision against Lake Zurich in the second round of
the Grant Thanksgiving tournament.
"We have a good team. I was happy with our tenacity and intensity in the second half. I don't know if we're timid or what
when we come out. We've been in both games we've played so far."
Carmel Catholic played well in the second half, outscoring the Bears 37-35. The turnaround started taking shape after
Lake Zurich built its biggest lead (50-26) with 5:25 left in the third. Corsair senior guard Shareif Belser-Bailey had caught
fire, scoring all 11 of his points in the second half and help eventually cut that deficit down to 11 points on two occasions
in the fourth.
Lake Zurich had foul problems as well and Carmel connected on 11-of-14 free throws in the second half, including 10-of12 in the fourth. But it was the first half that Ryan alluded to where Lake Zurich pretty much had its way and take control of
the game, which was largely due to excellent free throw shooting and a handful of 3-pointers.
The Bears (2-0) benefited from a foul-crazy first half in which they made 19-of-25 free throw attempts to help build a 37-21
advantage going into the break.
And of course, down the stretch Carmel Catholic (0-2) was inching closer and was forced to foul. Except for a layup by
senior forward Nick Meyer, all of the Bears' points came from the foul line where they converted on 13-of-14 in the fourth
period.
"We knew how aggressive they (Carmel) played," said Meyer, who finished with 15 points. "After every drill in practice, we
go and shoot 10 free throws. We work really hard on our free-throw shooting."
That certainly showed as Lake Zurich drained 32-of-40 for the game. Junior guard Michael Bens (15 points) was 10-for13, while senior guard Nick Penny (game-high 16 points) dropped in 11-of-12 before fouling out late in the contest.
Carmel held a 4-2 lead after layup by senior center Sean Foster (7 points). But Lake Zurich seized the lead for good at 5-4
after a pair of free throws by Penny. From there, the Bears distanced themselves by outscoring Carmel Catholic 33-17 the
rest of the first half.
"I was in a better mood yesterday after we won, but we'll take 2-0," said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher. "We were out of
synch with our ball handling tonight. And we have to cut down on the turnovers."
Senior forward Danny Carlson chipped in 10 points as Lake Zurich had four players in double-figures. Meanwhile, senior
guard CJ Duff and senior center Matthew Stephens joined Belser-Bailey in double-figures for Carmel, scoring 13 and 12,
respectively.
North Lawndale hands Lake Zurich its first loss
John Phelps
Win or lose, good teams always look for ways to improve. Such as Lake Zurich, which took the short end
of a 64-54 decision to Chicago's North Lawndale College Prep in the Grant Thanksgiving tournament on
Friday evening. But the Bears took away plenty of positives.
"I guess we're not going undefeated this year," Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said with a grin. "But I was
really pleased with our effort tonight. North Lawndale is a high quality team. They made shots we had
trouble defending, and they hit the offensive boards."
Pitcher's crew fell to 3-1 overall and in the tournament, and pretty much sewed up second-place in the sixteam round-robin event. Meanwhile, North Lawndale clinched the title by going 4-0 to this point with one
game left on Saturday night. Rebounding and second-chance points were two key factors that helped the
Phoenix build a 30-22 lead at halftime.
But Lake Zurich's got too much firepower and wasn't about to go anywhere. The Bears went on a little 106 spree to open the third quarter and drew to within 36-32 with 4:50 left in the frame. Senior guard Nick
Penny hit a layup and drained a 3-pointer during the run. But that's where the Bears hit a little speed
bump.
"We got to within 4 points on a few of different occasions in the second half, but then we had 3 crucial
turnovers right after that," said Penny, who pumped in a game-high 18 points before fouling out with 39
seconds remaining in the contest. "We kept grinding, though, and we were finally starting to play with
them."
Unfortunately, that was as close as Lake Zurich would get because North Lawndale converted those
crucial turnovers into points on the other end. The final time the Bears got to within 4 points of the lead
was following a trey by Penny that made it 49-45 with 6:50 left in regulation. However, a traveling call
helped keep the momentum with the Phoenix, who took advantage by scoring 6 unanswered points to put
the game out of reach at 56-45 with 2:20 left.
"We just couldn't get over the hump," said Pitcher. "Those turnovers we're huge down the stretch. But
we'll learn from this. As long as we keep getting better and better every day."
With the game pretty much in the bag, North Lawndale put an exclamation point on things by converting
on 4-of-4 free throws in the final minute. Penny echoed his coach's sentiments.
"As a team, I know we can be so much better," he said. "They are a really good team. But we'll learn from
this and move on," he said.
Senior forward Nick Meyer and junior guard Michael Bens joined Penny in scoring in double figures
finishing with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Penny saves the day as Lake Zurich earns
a victory
Nick Penny's new mask never budged.
And down the stretch, Lake Zurich's boys basketball team held firm too,
protecting its single-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter before
closing out a 40-35 win over visiting Lake Forest in a North Suburban
Conference Lake Division opener Friday night.
The victory for Lake Zurich (4-2) snapped a 10-game losing streak against Lake Forest, which never
lost to the Bears during the four-year varsity run of star forward Evan Boudreaux.
"They've been kicking our butt for a while," Penny said of the Scouts after shooting 6 of 11 from the
field and scoring a team-high 14 points. "We were very aware of that, so it feels really good to finally
get them."
Penny wasn't feeling so well earlier in the week.
During practice Tuesday, he suffered a broken nose doing what he always does -- going hard for a
rebound. An errant elbow caught him in the face.
"I didn't even think it was broken, at first," Penny said.
So, he kept practicing.
"He's such a tough kid," Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. "It didn't faze him."
After practice, Penny actually went to the YMCA to shoot some more. After his nose started bleeding,
he finally went to the emergency room.
"It's not that big of a deal," Penny said. "It's just annoying that I have to wear the mask."
The protective mask didn't seem to affect him against Lake Forest, which got a dominating
performance from Lorenzo Edwards (20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocked shots). Penny dazzled at
times with his behind-the-back dribbling and showed off a sick move with the Bears clinging to a 2623 lead late in the third quarter.
Penny shook his defender, who stumbled and fell backward, before sinking a step-back 3-pointer.
His mask never moved, despite his shaking and baking.
"Coach Pickens has been working with me on that," said Penny, referring
to assistant coach Chris Pickens.
"He's quick," Pitcher said of his senior guard.
Edwards nearly single-handedly kept Lake Forest close, dominating at
both ends of the court. The 6-foot-7 senior sank 10 of 15 shots, showing
long range on his jump shot in addition to plenty of athleticism in either
lane.
"I don't know if Edwards took a shot where there wasn't somebody
between him and the basket," Pitcher said. "He still made a lot of them,
but we had the position there defensively."
Lake Zurich took a 29-23 lead into the fourth quarter and was up 38-31 after a drive by Penny. But
Edwards' steal and layup and Matt Begley's sweet dish to a cutting Ryan Kitchel cut the Scouts'
deficit to 38-35 with 1:46 left.
Lake Zurich's Brett Hensley hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 1:06 left, and the Bears survived a couple
of missed free throws in the final half minute to pull out the win.
Hensley scored 8 of his 10 points in the opening quarter in
helping Lake Zurich take a 12-11 lead. Michael Bens also
scored 10 points for Lake Zurich, while Nick Mey er grabbed 10
rebounds.
Edwards scored 8 of Lake Forest's 12 points in the fourth.
"He was really tough tonight," Pitcher said. "I don't know what
else we could have done on a couple of those shots."
Defensive numbers add up in Lake Zurich's favor
Bill Pemstein
No, it wasn't a double-double from Lake Zurich senior Andrew Gilbertson. But he will take it. Officially, it was 6
points and 12 rebounds.
That's good news for Lake Zurich basketball coach Billy Pitcher, who complimented his 6-foot-7 center on his
performance late Saturday afternoon at home.
"So you had double the number of rebounds than points,'" Pitcher said to Gilbertson. "That's good, unless it's
2 points and 4 rebounds."
This Lake Zurich team prides itself on play at the defensive end. The Bears (5-2) held visiting Vernon Hills to 5
points in the third quarter and pulled away for a decisive 51-36 win.
When senior Nick Meyer (12 points) landed a 3-pointer early in the first quarter, the Bears were off and
running at 7-0.
"We've been working on our defense the whole season," Meyer said. "We bring out a lot of intensity."
The game wasn't a one-sided affair the whole way. Vernon Hills (3-4) had three 3-pointers from the corner
from senior forward Jake Helfand, and there was more excitement from this team before the first quarter
expired.
Michael Dougherty paced Vernon Hills with 13 points. His first 3-pointer of the game swished through the net
after being launched from 40 feet.
"Vernon Hills is such a great three-point shooting team," Pitcher said. "We made some adjustments and even
went into a zone."
Although the Cougars never led, they pushed within 4 points twice in the second quarter. Both times,
Dougherty hit jumpers to pull his team closer. Gilbertson opened the second half with a rebound and bucket.
"My job is to get rebounds and set picks," Gilbertson said. "And when I get a good chance, I can score."
Dougherty kept scoring for Vernon Hills as the third quarter kicked off. He scored on a gorgeous drive to the
hoop and added a free throw. And then the VH offense shut down the final five minutes of this quarter.
Only a turning shot from 6-7 Eric Weiler in the final half minute stopped the Cougars from being shut out the
rest of the quarter.
And when this quarter came to an end, it was time for another buzzer-beating 3-pointer. This time it came
from Lake Zurich guard Brett Hensley.
Lake Zurich guard Nick Penny, wearing a mask for the second game in a row to protect his broken nose, led all
scorers with 15 points.
"Mask and me and (Michael) Bens look for each other on the court," Meyer said.
Vernon Hills scored the first 5 points of the final quarter. Helfand scored on an old fashioned three-point play
to cut the LZ lead to 38-30. Having to foul to stop the clock didn't quite work out for Vernon Hills. The junior
Bens didn't score from the floor but hit 8 straight free throws.
"We did a pretty good job today," Pitcher said. "We just need to stay the course."
Week 2: Player of the Week
Nick Penny, Lake Zurich: Some masked men are good guys. Take the senior guard. Wearing a
protective mask after breaking his nose in practice, Penny helped the Bears snatch a pair of wins. He
had 14 points in a victory over Lake Forest, then scored 15 points in a triumph over Vernon Hills.
Long-sought road win for Lake Zurich at Stevenson
Quieter than a morgue in recent years, the visiting boys basketball locker
room at Stevenson suddenly erupted in cheers.
Minutes earlier, Lake Zurich had finished a come-from-behind, 47-41 win
over the host Patriots in an early-season North Suburban Lake Division
showdown Wednesday night.
"I was just going around and shaking everybody's hand and giving
everybody a hug," coach Billy Pitcher said after his Bears improved to 6-2
and 2-0 in the NSC Lake with their third win in a row. "Even the guys that
didn't play did a great job of preparing. We had a long preparation time for
this game. Stevenson's always a team that you circle on the calendar."
It didn't matter to the Bears that the defending Class 4A state champs
graduated stars Jalen Brunson and Connor Cashaw. The victory for them was huge.
"It was really rowdy in there (in the locker room)," said Nick Meyer, who led Lake Zurich with game highs of 22
points, which equaled his season best, and 8 rebounds. "In my years here, we've never beat Stevenson at
Stevenson. So it was a really big win, especially for me, senior year, last game here."
Fact is, Stevenson (5-2, 2-1) hadn't lost a conference game since Jan. 10, 2014 at Zion-Benton (70-69 in
overtime). The Patriots hadn't suffered a home defeat since March 2, 2012 (Brunson and Cashaw's freshman
year), when Warren knocked them off 57-47 in the regional finals.
"It's a different team," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said of his 2015-16 squad. "Jalen Brunson isn't on this
team."
Stevenson's high-scoring guard now is Ryuji Aoki, who had a team-high 13 points against Lake Zurich. The
Patriots led 8-2 after one quarter and were up by as many as eight points (13-5) midway through the second.
They went into halftime ahead 19-12, despite 7-of-19 shooting, as Lake Zurich shot just 4 of 19 from the field.
"We struggled a little bit shooting the first half and couldn't get away from them, and they kept it close,"
Ambrose said. "We struggled closing out on some shooters (in the second half) and they shot real well."
Meyer also helped hold 6-foot-7 Justin Smith to 12 points. Smith, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second
quarter, scored just 2 points after halftime.
"(Lake Zurich) was clogging the lane a little bit and (had) a scouting report on certain things that he does,"
Ambrose said of his Division-I prospect. "He needs to diversify his game a little bit."
"I just said, ‘I can't let (Smith) get in front of me, can't let him get to the basket,' " Meyer said. "I tried to close
out, high hands, as much as I could and take away his 3s.
"Offensively, whenever I was open, I shot it."
Meyer shot 8 of 11 from the floor, making all 7 of his field-goal attempts in the
final three quarters. He drained a pair of 3-pointers.
"We really applauded Meyer (after the game) for his offense, and then I said,
‘But his biggest performance was defensively,' " Pitcher said. "He's just really
an athletic kid. He led us in every bench number, squat number. He runs the
mile in under five minutes. He's just in unbelievable shape. He's a 30-inch
vertical guy. So his length at 6-4 is a good matchup for us in that situation
(against Smith)."
Lake Zurich outscored Stevenson 22-14 in the fourth and outrebounded the
Patriots 11-4. Meyer's three-point play with 5:58 left in the quarter gave the
visitors the lead at 32-30 and started a 9-0 run.
Michael Bens 5 of his 11 points in the fourth for Lake Zurich and finished with
three 3-pointers. Nick Penny added 7 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the stripe.
Stevenson also got 10 points from Willie Herenton.
O’Brien: Nick Meyer does it all as Lake Zurich
beats Stevenson
Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher received
a warning from one of his assistant
coaches before heading into the locker
room after the Bears beat Stevenson 4741 in Lincolnshire on Wednesday: “Get
ready for the volcano that’s about to
erupt in there.”
Lake Zurich’s celebration could be heard
all through Stevenson’s field house.
“It was really rowdy in (the locker room),”
Lake Zurich senior Nick Meyer said.
“We’ve never beat Stevenson at
Stevenson in my years here. That was a really big win.”
Meyer was the key. He scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and shot 8-for-11.
“We knew he could do it, it’s in him,” Lake Zurich senior Nick Penny said. “He let loose tonight and I don’t
see why he can’t do it again on Friday.”
But according to Pitcher, Meyer’s biggest contribution was on defense. Meyer held Stevenson star junior
Justin Smith to 12 points, just two points in the second half.
“I just knew I could let (Smith) get to the basket,” Meyer said. “I tried to close out and have high hands to
take away his threes.”
Penny, Lake Zurich’s leading scorer, is playing with a mask on his face after breaking his nose in practice
two weeks ago. He wouldn’t make excuses after the game, but it is clear that he’s shooting less with the
mask on. He was 0-for-2 from the field.
“That was the biggest of (Meyer’s) career, he really stepped up,” Pitcher said. “We were able to do this
without Penny really having a big game. I think the mask is bothering him but he did a good job
defensively and he deferred.”
Penny scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds. He shot 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final
minute to seal the win. He’s clearly Lake Zurich’s leader, he was in the mix for every loose ball and
regularly drew the ire of the Stevenson crowd for his tough style of play.
“(Penny) is just in the middle of every play all the time, even in drills,” Pitcher said. “We have to pull him
out sometimes because I’m worried he is going to hurt (his nose) worse, if he can hurt it worse.”
Junior Michael Bens added 11 points and guard Ryan Kutsor provided some gutsy play off the bench with
four rebounds.
“The validation is there now,” Penny said. “We knew we could play with a
team like that and we knew could beat a team like that and now we
have.”
Ryuji Aoki led the Patriots (5-2, 2-1 North Suburban Lake) with 13 points
and junior Willie Herenton, a transfer from Young, added 10 points.
Stevenson was out-rebounded 27-20.
“We struggled shooting in the first half and struggled with closing out
some shooters in the second half and they shot real well,” Stevenson
coach Pat Ambrose said. “We have a ways to go. We have a lot of pieces
of the puzzle and we have to work to fit them together.”
Lake Zurich wins twice, makes Pekin finale
Daily Herald report
Lake Zurich's boys basketball team, the defending tournament champion in Pekin's Holiday Classic,
is on track for a repeat.
The Bears, not selected as one of the top four seeds in the 16-team affair, picked up a pair of wins
Tuesday and will meet No. 4 seed Springfield Lanphier for the championship at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday.
Lake Zurich (10-2) advanced by topping Peoria Richwoods 55-44 on Tuesday evening.
Nick Penny led the way with an 18-point effort which included 9-for-9 at the foul line. Ryan Kutsor had
14 points, converting 3 of 4 from the field and 8 of 10 at the line.
Penny also corralled a game-high 11 rebounds, Brett Hensley made three 3s to finish with 9 points
and Lake Zurich finished 19-for-21 on foul shooting.
Kaelen Johnson paced Richwoods with a game-best 19 points.
Lake Zurich 37, Mt. Carmel 36: Lake Zurich won its first game of the day at Pekin by edging the
Caravan by a single point as Nick Penny’s put back basket went it right as time expired.
The Bears bounced back from a third quarter in which they scored 3 points by out-pointing Mt.
Carmel 14-10 in the fourth, including the final 8 points of the game
Nick Meyer (13 points) and Michael Bens (11) led the Bears in scoring, and both made three 3s.
Penny came up with a game-high 6 assists.
Boys basketball roundup: Zion-Benton rolls
past Lake Zurich
Jeff Bonato News-Sun
The third quarter Tuesday night was the best eight minutes of basketball Zion-Benton's boys team has played this season.
The fourth quarter probably was it most important eight minutes of the season. And the home team came through like
champs, earning a solid 61-50 victory over Lake Zurich in a battle of North Suburban
Lake titans.
Zion (10-4, 2-1) next plays Libertyville at home on Friday. That same night, Lake Zurich
(10-4, 2-1) is home to Mundelein.
The catalyst for Zion's victory Tuesday was 5-foot-9 senior point guard Deshawn
Wilson. When he plays well, Zion rolls. And, in fact, if the Bees had not lost to Rockford
Boylan in the holiday tourney at Jacobs, he might have been named the event's MVP.
He certainly was the MVP against Lake Zurich with a game-high 22 points, a superior
floor game, inspired defense and only one foul.
"Coach (Bobby Worthington) basically told us at halftime that if we were going to win,
we were going to have to play defense," Wilson said.
That came just after Lake Zurich had a 21-point second quarter and took a 30-29 lead
into intermission.
After the break, Zion's defensive intensity was noticeable, Lake Zurich shot in tough luck, and when the quarter ended, the
Zee-Bees outscored the Bears 16-2 — both free throws — to take a 45-32 lead.
But even then, victory wasn't assured. Zion's learning curve this season has included surrendering big leads late. But not
this time. Even though Lake Zurich had a sequence of scores that included two 3-point baskets and two three-point plays,
Zion countered each time and the lead was never less than six in the fourth quarter.
"We've struggled to keep leads late in games," Wilson said. "In order to be a great team in this state, you have to protect
leads."
And, yes, the Zee-Bee guard believes his team can be great. Worthington knows this still is a work in progress, but there
indeed is progress.
"We still have some things to work on," he said. "And we're going to do it."
Jaalen Ray and Kienan Baltimore each had 13 points in the win. Zion was 7-for-13 from 3-point range and held Lake
Zurich's talented long-range shooters to 7-for-26 from distance.
Nick Meyer hit four 3-pointers and led his team with 18 points.
These Nicks are a cut above for Lake Zurich
The Nicks. Nick Squared. Team Nick. Nick & Nick,
Inc.
They're all possibilities for seniors Nick Penny and
Nick Meyer, who probably need a joint nickname.
They are, after all, Lake Zurich's version of a dynamic
duo.
"They're like our Batman and Robin," Lake Zurich
boys basketball coach Billy Pitcher said. "But who is
Batman and who is Robin changes, and I think that makes us hard to prepare for."
Behind Penny and Meyer, or Penyer, as Hollywood might refer to them, Lake Zurich is off to a 10-4
start, which includes a second-place finish at the rigorous Pekin Holiday Tournament. The Bears are
2-1 in North Suburban Conference Lake Division play with big wins over league heavyweights
Stevenson and Libertyville in December.
"Penny and Meyer are certainly our 1-2 punch," Pitcher said. "When one has a down game, or the
other team does a great job of stopping one, the other one steps up."
Penny and Meyer have been complementing each other all throughout high school. Their careers
have paralleled each other.
Both Penny, a point guard, and Meyer, a stretch forward, played on the sophomore team as
freshmen. They both got promoted to varsity during their sophomore seasons.
As starters last season, they were in on some big plays together.
"What happened last year at Pekin was awesome," Penny said.
"We always have each other's backs," Meyer said.
At the Pekin Holiday Tournament last year, Lake Zurich was in a tough, nip-and-tuck battle with
Plainfield East in the championship game. Penny drove the lane with only seconds remaining, kicked
the ball to Meyer and Meyer hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Lake Zurich a dramatic win and the
championship, the first championship ever for Lake Zurich at Pekin.
This year at Pekin, the two combined again for late-game heroics. Against Mt. Carmel, Meyer shot a
3-pointer that just rimmed out and Penny tipped the rebound in at the buzzer to help Lake Zurich
advance into the semifinals.
"It helps that we've been together for four years," Penny said.
"We've learned how each other plays," Meyer said. "We really know each other on the court."
Penny (6-foot-1) is known for his ball-handling skills and his leadership from the point. But not only
does he direct and facilitate, Penny can score. He leads Lake Zurich in scoring at about 15 points per
game.
At 6-foot-4, Meyer is a well-rounded forward who can guard bigger post players but is also quick
enough to make plays against smaller, faster players. He can score in the paint and also hit from 3point range. He's averaging about 13 points per game and is the Bears' top 3-point shooter.
Both Penny and Meyer are being actively recruited and will likely play college ball at the Division III
level next year.
"What it comes down to is that both of these guys are complete players," Pitcher said. "They rebound,
defend, take care of the ball. They've scored on drives, post-ups, 3-pointers, they get to the free throw
line. They are a model of what we want a Lake Zurich basketball player to be and really set a great
example for our younger players on and off the floor.
"They both have great grades, are well-liked by their teammates, have a good sense of humor and
have been great captains for us this season."
Of course, the best team captains put the team first, and Penny and Meyer say that's their top
objective.
"I think the biggest thing with us is that we want to win games," Penny said. "I think the coaches saw
that right away in us."
"We're both really competitive, we both love basketball and we both love winning," Meyer said. "I
don't pay attention to the other stuff."
"I don't get caught up in that stuff either," Penny chimed in.
Stuff such as stats, or headlines, or whether the most appropriate nickname of the day for the
dynamic duo is Penyer…or Meyny.
"I don't really care about who is leading the day," Penny said. "When you do that, that's when you
start to lose games. We just want to win."
Penny, Meyer pace another Lake Zurich
victory
Daily Herald report
Nick Penny scored a game-high 19 points and Nick Meyer had 15 to help Lake Zurich to a road
victory at Streamwood 49-37 on Thursday in Martin Luther King tournament play.
Penny made all three of his 3 pointers and made all four of his free throws as the Bears finished 9-for11 from the foul line. Penny also had 6 rebounds as Lake Zurich outrebounded Streamwood 21 – 15
on the game.
In a game that was close most of the way, Lake Zurich (13-4) got some separation at the end by
producing a 16-point fourth quarter. In fact, the Sabres jumped out to a 15-10 lead on the Bears. "I
thought Streamwood played great all night. They ran 45 seconds to a minute off the clock each
possession then would knock down a tough J.” said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher.
Brendan Marton sparked Streamwood with 8 first-half points, including a 3 pointer on 3-4 shooting.
Streamwood's top scorer was Jaleel Jenkins, who made three 3s and finished with 13 points. But the
Sabres only got 2 free throws in the game.
“Paul Kowalszyn is doing an outstanding job with his guys," added Pitcher. "They were one of the
best-coached and most disciplined teams we've seen. We were just able to create some turnovers
and made a run in each half to extend the lead."
Both teams return to action with two games Saturday in the MLK Classic at Lake Zurich.
Michael Bens, Lake Zurich hanging around top
of NSC
When the Lake Zurich boys basketball team lost its top three players — Mike Travlos, Jack
O'Neill and Will McClaughry — to graduation after a 23-9 campaign in 2014-15, many thought
this would be a down year. Those people were wrong.
"What's amazing is, we lost 44 points per game from last year between those three guys," coach
Billy Pitcher said. "But it hasn't slowed us down one bit. That's a huge credit to the guys on our
roster this season."
Lake Zurich entered the week with a 15-4 record, sitting in a three-way tie with Zion-Benton
and Stevenson for first place in the North Suburban Lake. A key reason is newcomer Michael
Bens, a 6-foot-1 junior guard.
"Michael Bens came up [to varsity] the last couple games of the year last year for the postseason, but didn't really play,"
Pitcher said. "He's started every game this season. People have been playing a lot of zone against us lately, and we've been
having a tough time getting the ball inside against that.
"We haven't lost a game against a team that's played zone against us yet, and part of the reason why is how well Michael
has played. He had a season-high [17 points] against Maine East during our Martin Luther King, Jr. Tournament last
week, and shot 5-for-9 from three-point range. He's been huge for us, and has made a lot of clutch shots. Having two
guards who can spread the floor and shoot who also like to share the ball like Penny and Meyer do is great as it is. But
having Bens as that third guy makes us that much more dangerous."
Unless something changes, none of the juniors or seniors on the current roster will wind up being a Division I prospect
like Stevenson's Justin Smith or Lake Forest's Lorenzo Edwards. But Bens said team basketball can win games.
"I guarantee you no one on our team cares about how many points someone finishes with," said Bens, who is averaging
9.5 points per game. "There's no question in my mind about it. That's why our team might be even more dangerous this
year than last year. We all understand how important it is to share the ball, and follow the team-oriented concepts coach
Pitcher is always preaching at practice."
Junior teammate Luke Kuhn said Bens' tremendous work ethic is the reason he's been so successful.
"Michael Bens has been one of my best friends since like fourth grade," said Kuhn. "Even though he's just a junior, he's a
leader on our team. He really pushes everyone to work harder. He's always the first person in the gym shooting. He's
always working out to become stronger physically, and pushing teammates to work out with him. His energy is infectious.
It's inspiring. "The other thing he brings to the table that's unique is
the fact he's a lefty. That seems to make it more difficult for some
players to guard him because they're so used to playing defense
against primarily right-handed players who have completely different
tendencies. Basketball is his everything. He used to play baseball and
football, too, but he quit those sports to focus on basketball. It's his
whole life. Almost all his spare time is spent doing things related to
the game of basketball."
Nicks pick up another thrilling win for Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich’s terrific tandem provided buzzer-beating heroics to lift
the Bears’ boys basketball team to a 42-40 win over Maine East in the
opening game of the Lake Zurich’s fourth annual Martin Luther King
Classic. That made it three times since last season that Nick Meyer
and Nick Penny have teamed up to score a last-second, game
winning basket.
Penny rebounded Meyer’s 3 point attempt and tipped in the game
winner at the buzzer to Mount Carmel at the Pekin Holiday
Tournament this winter and in last year’s final Penny found Meyer for
a last second 3 pointer to win the tournament over Plainfield East.
In Saturday’s game the Bears jumped out to a big first quarter lead,
14-5, before Maine East (13-5) caught fire from outside. The Demons
switching zone defenses, between 1-2-2 and 1-3-1, gave the Bears
fits throughout the rest of the game.
Junior Michael Bens gave Lake Zurich a huge lift stretching the zone with four 3-point field goals and
a game high 17 points.
With the game tied at 40 Lake Zurich held for the last shot then called a timeout when the play broke
down. From the sideline out of bounds with 7 seconds left Meyer inbounded, received a screen from
Sophomore Ryan Kutsor and Penny found him on a lob from the weakside for the last second win.
“This group always believe. We’ve been in a lot of close games and just know that we will find a way
to win. Especially when we have those two guys out on the floor,” said Lake Zurich coach Billy
Pitcher.
The Bears improve to 14-4 on the season, 3-0 in the MLK Tournament and will face Addison Trail at
6pm to win their pool.
Another clutch victory in favor of Lake Zurich
Patricia Babcock McGraw
Overtimes. Buzzer beaters. Do-or-die last possessions. No problem.
Little seems to faze the Lake Zurich boys basketball team, which won yet another close-shave game
on Monday night. The Bears edged Niles North in the championship game of their own Martin Luther
King Classic, 61-58 in overtime.
Senior point guard Nick Penny hit 6 straight free throws over the final 1:55 of overtime to seal it for
Lake Zurich (16-4), which also got a clutch 3-pointer from Ryan Kutsor with 50 seconds left in the
fourth quarter to tie the score at 52 and send the game into the extra session. It was Lake Zurich's
second overtime win of the season, but its fourth win on the last possession. Niles North (15-6) had
an open 3-point attempt in the final seconds that would have tied the game, but it just missed.
"There's just something about this team where we never feel worried," said Lake Zurich coach Billy
Pitcher, whose team has also beaten Grant in overtime, beaten Maine East and Mount Carmel on
buzzer beaters and beaten Freeport by 2 points.
"We've been in close games and we've won them all, except for the (Springfield) Lanphier game (in
the Pekin Holiday Tournament championship). I think it's our leaders, (Nick) Penny and (Nick) Meyer
too. But especially with Penny. When you have a point guard like that who can take care of the ball
and you know he's going to knock down free throws, that just gives everyone a lot of confidence."
Penny, the tournament's most valuable player, scored a game-high 23 points and was clutch at the
line down the stretch, going 8-for-8 from the line over the fourth quarter and overtime period.
"We were always confident because we've been through stuff like this before," said Penny, who hit
13-of-14 free throws overall. "We're just mentally tough as a team. We're never worried or
overwhelmed by any moment like this. We've just been through a lot together, summer leagues, fall
leagues. It's a close group and that helps too. We always trust in each other."
Last year, Lake Zurich won the tournament championship with a 4-1 record on tiebreakers over
Palatine, Vernon Hills and Niles North, which also had 4-1 records.
This year, the Bears won the tournament championship outright with a 5-0 record. The tournament,
which began in 2013, has also been won by Carmel (2014) and Niles North (2013).
"We came in second (over Christmas) at Pekin and we didn't win our Thanksgiving tournament (at
Grant), and last year we won three tournaments, so we really needed to win this one to try to kind of
make up for losing our first two tournaments already," Penny said. "It was nice to win this one,
especially on our home court."
Michael Bens and Meyer also scored in double-figures for Lake Zurich. Bens had 13 points on 2
three-pointers while Meyer, who also made the all-tournament team, had 12 points. Crishawn Cook,
who made the all-tournament team for Niles North, scored a team-high 22 points while Damaria
Franklin added 13 points and Kaleb Canonigo had 12 points on 4 three-pointers. Franklin had the
open look from 3-point range that just missed in the final seconds.
"We got the look we wanted, a wide-open 3, from one of our top scorers and shooters," Niles North
coach Glenn Olson said. "You hope those things go down.
"We did a great job of not panicking. But (Lake Zurich) did a great job of knocking down free throws
down the stretch."
Coffey's shot lifts Batavia over Lake Zurich in OT
Jerry Fitzpatrick
There was little question who was getting the ball for
Batavia's boys basketball team with the clock winding down
and the Night of Hoops game against Lake Zurich tied in
overtime.
Batavia leading scorer Canaan Coffey took a pass from
Kamontez Thomas on the right wing with 8 seconds left.
The 6-foot-3 senior guard made a spin move to the baseline
and launched a 15-foot fadeaway jump shot that found
nothing but net to lift the Bulldogs to a 66-64 victory over
the comeback-minded Bears, who once trailed by 16.
"I was just going to go one-on-one and take the final shot there," said Coffey, who finished with a team-high 21
points. "I made a quick move and knocked down the shot."
Batavia coach Jim Nazos said the idea was to give Coffey space to create because Lake Zurich (16-6) had
been denying the wing most of the game. He credited sophomore Eric Peterson for chipping Coffey's defender
to create space.
"It got Canaan on the wing by himself," said Nazos, whose Upstate Eight River-leading Bulldogs improved to
17-7. "You really like your chances with Canaan on the wing and the clock counting down, him just going one
on one. He made a play and he's the type of guy who's made those plays."
Coffey's heroics spoiled a memorable comeback by the Bears, who fell behind 36-20 late in the second quarter
and trailed by 14 at the half. Senior guard Nick Penny kept Lake Zurich in the game by sinking 21 of 23 free
throws en route to a career-best 32-points, spearheading a 30-of-35 performance by the Bears from the free
throw line. Trailing 60-58, Lake Zurich sophomore Ryan Kutsor scored on a baseline drive with 4 seconds left
to knot the score. Coffey had a shot to win it in regulation, but his 3-pointer didn't fall.
The Bulldogs scored the first 4 points in overtime on free throws by Coffey and senior John Fitch, who grabbed
2 important overtime rebounds. The Bears caught up via 2 free throws from Penny and 2 free throws from
senior Nick Meyer, setting the stage for Coffey's game-ending heroics.
"We probably wanted to send a double at him," Penny said of the decisive play. "That's what coach wanted us
to do. We just didn't execute once again. (Coffey) is a really great shooter, obviously. He was able to create
space on me and hit it right over me."
Junior Michael Bens finished with 11 points for Lake Zurich, while Kutsor added 10.
Peterson scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half for Batavia, and Fitch added 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Big night for Kutsor, Lake Zurich
at Warren
Ryan Kutsor's biggest week as a varsity basketball player yielded big
bonuses Friday night. His first varsity slam dunk, for one.
"I've never dunked in a game, and it's something I've always wanted to
do," the 6-foot-3 sophomore guard said.
The biggest bonus for Kutsor was that his career- and game-high 20
points, which included his one-handed slam and three 3-pointers, rallied
Lake Zurich past host Warren 53-48. The win snapped the Bears' seasonworst three-game losing streak and kept alive their title hopes in the North
Suburban Conference Lake Division.
"We needed a win bad," said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher, whose Bears (17-7, 5-3, one game
back of Stevenson in the loss column) get right back at it Saturday night with a game at Mundelein.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. (Warren) had really been playing well. They just got so many
threats."
Kutsor is the Bears' newest offensive threat to go along with Nick Penny, Nick Meyer and Michael
Bens. After Kutsor's buzzer-beating post-up shot forced overtime against Batavia last Saturday night,
Pitcher gave the varsity rookie his first start Tuesday against Zion-Benton. Kutsor scored just 3
points, but he was clearly more comfortable against Warren (10-13, 5-5).
"He's just been really playing better," Pitcher said. "He played great at Batavia. We believe in him."
Pitcher thought Kutsor's biggest shot was his 3-pointer off an inbounds play to beat the halftime
buzzer and pull Lake Zurich within 23-17 of the Blue Devils.
"We were really struggling there, and that gave us some life and some energy," Pitcher said. "We
were saying in the locker room, ‘Hey, it's a two-possession game and we get Penny back to start the
second half.' "
Penny, who scored a career-high 32 points against Batavia, picked up his third foul on a charge in the
closing seconds of the first quarter and sat the entire second. But he opened the second half by
scoring on a reverse layup, and after 6-foot-7 Declan O'Connor (6 points, 5 rebounds) answered for
Warren, Lake Zurich scored again on its next possession when Meyer made two free throws.
More so than Kutsor's 3 to end the first half, Warren coach Jon Jasnoch thought Lake Zurich's early
third-quarter baskets spelled trouble.
"A couple of possessions in a row we didn't get
stops," Jasnoch said. "That was the thing. That gives
them a little boost. Now they're making their
comeback."
Warren actually went up 34-24 on Branden Ellis'
three-point play with 3:56 left in the third. But Kutsor
beat the buzzer again, banking in a shot in the lane in
the closing seconds to cap a 12-2 run and tie the
score at 36-36 entering the fourth.
Kutsor didn't cool off. He answered a 3-pointer by
Juwan Perry (8 points) with a 3 of his own. Then after Penny buried a 3-pointer, Kutsor fired up his
team and fans with a midcourt steal and breakaway dunk to make it 44-39 with 5:35 left. Warren
called an immediate timeout and Lake Zurich players jumped off the bench to mob Kutsor.
"It was the first game I really came out and played really aggressive, played within myself and played
within the team," Kutsor said.
Lake Zurich never relinquished the lead after that. Meyer (11 points), Penny (10) and Bens (8) went a
combined 6 of 8 from the line in the final minute to keep Warren from getting closer than four points.
Warren got 16 points from Maurice Chambers and 11 from Ellis. But while the Blue Devils scored only
25 second-half points against Lake Zurich's zone, Jasnoch was more disturbed by the 36 points his
Blue Devils allowed after halftime.
"(Lake Zurich's) guys do a good job of knocking down shots when they need to," Jasnoch said. "They
cut hard."
Ryan Kutsor cutting it at varsity level with Lake Zurich
Tim Froehlig Pioneer Press
The Lake Zurich boys basketball team has been searching for more offense as the regular
season winds down. That's why coach Billy Pitcher made the decision to insert 6-foot-3
sophomore guard Ryan Kutsor into his starting lineup.
"We were struggling and not having our best games over the past few weeks," Pitcher said.
"So I decided to plug him in to our starting rotation hoping he'd give us a little bit of a
boost. So far, he has. He can shoot the three, he can drive, he can post up. He's got good
size and ball-handling. So he's just an all-around player — a complete player."
Kutsor had a career-high 20 points in a game against Warren earlier this month and helped
get the Bears out to a quick first-quarter lead during their 53-33 win over Mundelein on
Saturday, Feb. 6. He used a hesitation dribble move to beat his defender twice, racing to the
rim for a pair of easy layups.
"The biggest improvement I've seen from Ryan is probably in his confidence," Pitcher said.
"He's really grown to trust his skill and instinct every game. He just continues to grow as a
player and is one of those kids with a huge upside."
According to Kutsor, who is in his first year at the varsity level, it took time to adjust from the sophomore and junior
varsity games he played in a year ago.
"I've learned that you can't be tentative," Kutsor said. "If you're tentative in any aspect of your game — offense, defense,
anything — you're gonna get eaten up at the varsity level."
Senior teammate Nick Penny said there's one other key ingredient to Kutsor's game.
"He plays outstanding defense," said Penny, who had a team-high 20
points against Mundelein. "We always knew he could score, and for the
majority of the year, we knew we had a real nice reliable scorer off the
bench before he became a starter. But we've found out he can do a lot of
other things for us.
"He had a couple of big blocks against Warren. He knows how to box
out and pull down boards at the guard position, and that little bit of extra
size helps him with that. And last game he was playing in the middle of
a 2-3 zone for us at times. He's just a Swiss Army knife for our team."
Lake Zurich's 20-point victory over the Mustangs was critical. It kept the Bears' North Suburban Lake title hopes alive.
The Bears (18-7, 6-3) trail first-place Stevenson by a game in the loss column and are scheduled to face the Patriots on
Tuesday, Feb. 9. The Bears already beat Stevenson once earlier this season.
"I wasn't real pleased with how we played tonight, but it keeps us in the hunt," Pitcher said.
Game notes: Bears junior guard Michael Bens had 14 points while junior guard Michael Hensley (six points) made three
of his four field goal attempts. The Mustangs, who committed just two first-half turnovers and held the Bears to 12-for-29
shooting during the opening 16 minutes, got a team-best 14 points, six rebounds and two steals from junior guard Aaron
Woolford.
Stevenson shines in bright lights at Lake Zurich
Joe Aguilar
Stevenson forward Justin Smith walked into Lake Zurich's gym and his eyes lit up.New LED lights were just
installed, replacing the old drowsy lighting, and the bright bulbs shined on the basketball court.
"I was confused," Smith said. "I was like, ‘Why is it like that?' But I liked it. Usually, it's pretty dark in there (even) with the
lights on. With just the spotlight on, I had more energy."
Stevenson didn't need a wake-up call Tuesday night, though the new lights probably didn't hurt. Smith and his teammates
were understandably energized from the start. The Patriots cranked up their defensive intensity in the fourth quarter,
nearly pitching a shutout, and captured a 52-40 win to clinch a share of the North Suburban Conference Lake Division
championship. Stevenson (18-6, 8-2) can win the division outright for the fourth year in a row with a victory Friday night at
Zion-Benton, which lost to the Patriots 64-51 less than two weeks ago. Stevenson raps up NSC Lake play a week from
Friday against Libertyville. Lake Zurich (18-8, 6-4) has Libertyville (Friday) and Warren (a week from Friday) left in NSC
Lake play. The Bears were trying to sweep the season series from Stevenson after winning 47-41 in Lincolnshire Dec. 16.
A more patient and disciplined Patriots squad was determined not to let that happen.
"We moved the ball much better (compared to the first game)," point guard Rodney Herenton Jr. said. "We weren't taking
shots off the third pass. We were taking them off the 13th pass."
Smith led Stevenson with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Ryuji Aoki scored 10 of his 15 points (three 3-pointers) in
the third quarter, while Herenton had all 11 of his points in the first half in helping the visitors go into the intermission up
26-25. Nick Meyer and Nick Penny paced Lake Zurich with 16 and 12 points, respectively. At halftime, each senior had 10
points, including two 3-pointers apiece.
"That was on our board at halftime," Patriots coach Pat Ambrose said. "They're good players. Whether we gave them an
inch or a foot, they made it. Let's give them credit." Herenton guarded point guard Penny, the Bears' leading scorer, the
entire night. Penny fired up only 8 shots, making three, as Herenton did well denying him the ball.
"The first half he made a couple of spot-up shots and got to the free-throw line," Herenton said. "We can't have their best
two players in double digits in the first half. The second half, especially that fourth quarter, we made them uncomfortable.
We pressured them, we didn't let them use their screens, and we started switching." Stevenson took a 44-38 lead into the
fourth, and the scoreboard didn't budge until Smith sank 2 free throws with 2:20 left. Aoki made a pair of tosses himself
with 1:51 to go, and then Jordan Newman (5 points) knocked in a pair from the line with 58 seconds left.
"It felt like it was 44-38 forever," said coach Billy Pitcher, whose Bears shot 1 of 5 from the floor in the fourth, while
committing four of their 12 turnovers. "We made a couple of turnovers and then we got out of sync. We couldn't get any
possessions, and they had some long possessions. They did a great job of, knowing they were up, controlling the tempo
and controlling the clock."
Lake Zurich didn't score until, off an inbounds play under Stevenson's basket, Brett Hensley fed Meyer for a layup with 47
seconds left, making it 50-40. "And it's a play we knew about," Ambrose said.
Stevenson's fourth-quarter defense was just another bright spot, so to speak. "That was impressive," Smith said. "That's
just a testament to how far we've come from the beginning of the season until now."
Seniors propel Lake Zurich past Warren in Lake finale
John Bumbales
It took a little jump start to get the Lake Zurich boys basketball team going Friday night against
Warren. But with four seniors starting on senior night, it was just a matter of time before the
Bears got rolling as they pulled away from the Blue Devils in the third quarter en route to a 66-51
North Suburban Conference victory in the Lake Division season finale for both teams.
Lake Zurich (19-9, 8-4) only led 21-18 after one half as an inside basket by Warren senior
Maurice Chambers (game-high 19 points) just beat the halftime buzzer by one second. But that
last-second hoop did not help the Blue Devils (11-15, 5-7) carry any momentum into the third
quarter as the Bears were ready to pounce on them from the outset of the second half.
Senior forward Nick Meyer (team-high 18 points) was a real catalyst to building a quick lead as
Meyer's back-to-back 3-pointers gave Lake Zurich its biggest lead at 29-20 less than two
minutes into the third quarter.
Warren could not contain the Bears' impressive offense in that pivotal period as 2 free throws by
senior Nick Penny (16 points) capped a 16-3 run, giving Lake Zurich a commanding 39-23 lead
about four minutes later.
"We were a little disappointed how we finished the half, and I'm really proud of how the guys
responded," said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher, whose team outscored Warren 21-12 in the
third quarter. "Our guys did a good job of finding him (Meyer) and getting him open, and we
showed a lot of extra effort that made the difference at the defensive end."
Warren did try to hang tough as a 3-point play by Juwan Peterson-Perry (14 points) cut the lead to 42-30 entering the
fourth quarter. But that was as close as the Blue Devils would get the rest of the way as a 3-pointer by Meyer, and a fastbreak basket by Penny made the score 47-30 with 7:05 to play.
"We needed to pick up the focus in the second half, and offensively we were all just sharing the ball very well," said
Meyer, whose team hosts Highland Park on Saturday evening. "We're all pretty excited to try to get our 20th win, and
we're looking forward to the post-season. But we're not looking past our next game."
Sophomore Ryan Kutsor joined Meyer and Penny in double figures with 10 points while junior teammate Michael Bens
added 9 points. Coming off injury, it was the first game of the 2015-16 season for Lake Zurich senior Tim Spears, who
started and scored 3 points. Senior Cam Long also returned to the lineup for the first time in about three weeks for the
Bears.
"Cam Long came in and did a really good job taking care of the ball," added Pitcher. "And he gives us a calming presence
when he's on the floor."
Other than Chambers and Peterson-Perry, Warren was unable to get its balanced offensive attack going in the contest.
"We did not do a very good job of closing out on their shooters and when they missed we did not box out very well," said
Warren coach Jon Jasnoch, whose team trailed 10-6 after one quarter. "They executed their offense very well and they
knocked down open shots. He (Meyer) got going, and he kept it going."
Penny, Lake Zurich collect win No. 20
Daily Herald report
Nick Penny had a game-high 15 points and 6 rebounds, and Lake Zurich's boys basketball team
notched its 20th win of the season by capturing a 48-21 decision over Highland Park in the inaugural
Camp Horseshoe Shootout at Lake Zurich on Saturday night.
Lake Zurich (20-9) jumped out to an 11-0 lead and was up 16-5 after one quarter. The Bears scored
just 4 points in the second quarter but increased their lead by a point (20-8). They then outscored
Highland Park 19-8 in the third quarter.
Michael Bens added 14 points, including three 3-pointers, for Lake Zurich. Penny sank a pair of shots
from beyond the arc, both in the third quarter. Ryan Kutsor contributed 9 points, including a 3, in the
win. Playing just his second game of the season, after missing the Bears' first 27 due to a dislocated
kneecap, 6-foot-1 senior forward Tim Spears started and grabbed 5 rebounds.
Highland Park (8-16) got 7 points and 8 rebounds from Zach Fleisher.
Pitcher, Penny reach milestones in Lake
Zurich's victory
Bill Pemstein
There were a few milestones set during Lake Zurich coach
Billy Pitcher's 100th career victory.
For one, Lake Zurich senior Nick Penny went to the free
throw line and shot 8 straight free throws. He made 7 of
his 12 in a one-minute span of the first half, and in the
process he jumped into the school record books for most free throws made in a career. And he earned a
Gatorade bath after the game for his feat.
That other Nick in the Bears' lineup, Nick Meyer, took over play in the second half Tuesday night at Antioch.
He scored 11 straight points on his way to 19. He also hit three 3s in that span on his way to 5 for the night.
The Bears (21-9) warmed up for the McHenry regional next week with a 67-43 romp over the Sequoits. Pitcher
won his 100th game in a six-year span.
"We've had a good run with Meyer and Penny,'' Pitcher said.
Antioch's highlight of the game? It came on the team's last 2-pointer of the night, and the home crowd
screamed with delight. It was a thunderous dunk from Antioch senior Theo Hill.
The Bears didn't waste much time getting off to a good start. On Cam Long's lone bucket of the night, the Lake
Zurich lead was 9-0. Antioch actually battled back and cut the LZ lead to just 3 points in the second quarter.
Kyle Gofron had 7 of his 10 points in the opening half.
Again, the two Nicks answered. Meyer hit a pair of 3s in the second quarter and his 8-point run helped build
the lead back. Penny was next up and began his domination at the line. He was fouled and hit 2, and nailed 2
more on a technical foul on the Sequoits.
"It's pretty cool to have the record,'' Penny said. "But a lot of that is circumstance."
Rising Lake Zurich star Ryan Kutsor also had a strong first half with 8 of his 13 points. He also dropped in
three 3s. The Bears hit five 3s in the third quarter as the lead swelled to 53-36. Meyer's hot streak meant he
could rest for most of the fourth quarter.
"I got some open looks,'' Meyer said. "I got hot and the shots were dropping."
Lake Zurich landed 11 3-pointers on the night. Meyer stayed on the court in the fourth quarter and landed 4
more free throws. He finished 12-for-14 from the charity stripe. Antioch shot the ball better in the second half.
Trevor Koch opened his team's second half with a 3 and finished with 7 points. Michael Kawell scored the first
two baskets of the fourth quarter and he added 6 points for the Sequoits.
Lake Zurich tops Lake Park for elusive regional triumph
By Joe Aguilar
Neither free throws nor regional championships come easy, even if Lake Zurich
guard Nick Penny makes the former seem simple. Take it from coach Billy
Pitcher in regards to the latter. In 16 seasons -- including three as a varsity
player at Normal Community, seven as an assistant coach and six as head
coach at Lake Zurich -- he had never experienced victory in a regional final.
Which explained his smile Friday night after his third-seeded Bears outlasted No. 6 Lake Park 54-45 to win the Class 4A
McHenry regional.
"I don't know if it was a monkey or a gorilla on my back," joked Pitcher, who lost in a regional final twice as a player. His Bears
were ousted in the regional final in each of the last two years. Lake Zurich hadn't won a regional title since 2005. "It's tough,"
Pitcher added. "When you get to this level, teams are really good."
Lake Park was no exception.Penny, who scored a game-high 18 points, went 13 of 13 from the foul line, hiking his school-record
total for made throws to 188. And free throws were a major factor for Lake Zurich against Lake Park (17-11), which welcomed
the return of leading scorer Kenny Bogus. The Bears shot 35 free throws, making 26 (74 percent). The Lancers were 8 of 15
from the stripe.
"We trust everyone on the team to shoot free throws," Penny said after a game in which his teammates Nick Meyer, Ryan
Kutsor, Andrew Gilbertson, Michael Bens and Tim Spears also knocked down foul shots. "When we go to the line, in our heads,
we're knocking it down. We practice it all the time. It's just repetition."
Kutsor and Meyer (7 rebounds) added 15 and 11 points, respectively, for Lake Zurich (23-9), which advances to the Fremd
sectional and will play the host Vikings at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
"Lake Zurich played well," Lake Park coach Josh Virostko said. "They deserved it. They
had a nice game." Bailey Vance led the Lancers with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals.
Bogus had not played since fracturing his left ankle in a win over Waubonsie Valley on
Jan. 26.
"It was fine," Bogus said. "I really had no pain in it."
He was feeling a different kind of pain after fouling out late in the game. The 6-foot-5 senior guard finished with 9 points coming
off the bench. Virostko certainly wasn't expecting Bogus to be the Lancers' savior.
"It was going to be rough," Virostko said. "He obviously didn't have his legs. He got winded. But I appreciate that he gave the
effort, and I think that deserves a lot of credit. If basketball were that easy,
everybody would be able to take six weeks off and come back. It's just hard." Lake
Zurich took no chances, putting the 6-4 Meyer on Bogus. "We switched Meyer onto
him because he's our best defender," Penny said. "I thought that really helped.
(Bogus) is tough to guard, but Meyer took the challenge like he always does."
A pair of free throws by Justin Scafidi had Lake Park within 44-42 with 1:55 left in
the fourth quarter. But Lake Zurich closed the game with a 10-3 run, going 10 of 14
from the line in the final 1:24. "They're a very good team," Bogus said. "Very
disciplined." Pitcher couldn't have been more relieved afterward. "Boy, are they physical," he said of the Lancers. "They play
great defense, they drive. We were wondering if they were going to hold (Bogus) out. He's a hard matchup."
Lake Zurich holds on against Fremd
Lake Zurich has played a record number of games this season. And the Bears made
sure t
hey would add to that record Wednesday night.
Surviving a wild finish, Lake Zurich held off Fremd 38-37 in the Class 4A boys
basketball sectional semifinals at Fremd High School in Palatine.
The Bears (24-9) advance to the sectional title for the first time in school history
and will meet top-seeded Conant at 7 p.m. Friday.
In order to get there, No. 3-seeded Lake Zurich had to stave off No. 2 Fremd in the waning moments of the game.
With Lake Zurich leading by 1 point with 34.6 seconds left, Fremd missed the tying free throw.
The Bears rebounded the ball, but turned it over just seconds later on a traveling call at half court.
The Vikings had a chance to take the lead twice, but missed two shots at the basket.
But Fremd's Kyle Sliwa forced a jump ball after the second miss and the Vikings were awarded possession with the arrow
pointing in their direction. The Vikes took a timeout with 12.1 seconds left.
"We thought that with 12 seconds left if we went zone it would take them a while to figure things out," said Lake Zurich
coach Billy Pitcher. "That was their last time out so we decided to go zone."
Pitcher's strategy paid off as Fremd forced the ball back to the perimeter as the clock ticked down.
But the Vikings were able to get the ball to the baseline to to Ryan Martin, who drove and then banked the ball off the
backboard.
It hit the front of the rim and spun out to the Bears' Ryan Kutsor who clamped down it for the victory.
"That was just a war," Pitcher said. "To come in here and beat them on their home floor is just excellent. It is a sign of our
kids and our character.
"When you play 32 games, you should have things down. So yes, it was one of our best defensive games as it should, be
this time of the year."
Lake Zurich showed that defense when it really counted in the second half.
The Bears limited Fremd to 14 percent (3-of-21) in the second half, and one of those field goals was a jam by Patrick
Benka.
The game was a defensive battle as both teams had trouble scoring at times thanks to the pressure by both sides.
It was tied seven times and had four lead changes before Lake Zurich scored the final 5 points of the third quarter to take a
35-30 lead.
The defense got even better as both teams combined for just 1-of-12 shooting from the field in the first five minutes of the
final period.
Fremd pulled to 35-34 as Benka stole the ball and drove for an
uncontested jam with 2: 30 to play.
Lake Zurich, which converted 14 of 26 shots through the first 3
quarters, hit its only field goal in the fourth quarter on a layup by Nick
Meyer (12 points) with 1:12 to play to put the Bears up 37-34.
It was made and missed free throws that had the student sections from
both schools in a full uproar down the stretch.
Sliwa nailed a pair of free throws with 45.1 seconds left to cut the
Bears' lead 37-36.
Lake Zurich's Nick Penny then added a free throw to increase it to 38-36. And Sliwa made the first of two free throws
with 34.6 seconds left to make it a 1-point game. That closed out the scoring.
"It was obviously a possession game back and forth," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "I thought we got some stops and
gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game. We just never got over that last hump. But I am proud of our kids' effort
tonight and all season."
Penny, who led Lake Zurich with 14 points, said the experience of the season is what helped his team in the end.
"We are just a bunch of leveled-headed kids," Penny said. "I think just playing through the season and so many games,
that we have been able to get better and better."
Michael Bens, who finished with 9 points, drew the task of guarding Sliwa, the Vikings' playmaker and one of their
leading scorers.
Bens, who was with Sliwa at every moment, limited him to just 5 free throws and 5 shots.
"Coach said that my job was to make sure he didn't shoot," Bens said. "And that's what I did. I just focused on making
sure he wasn't open and trailed him all game."
While Sliwa was limited thanks to the play by Bens and the foul trouble he got in during the first half, Fremd (23-7) relied
on Benka and the 6-foot-8 senior did not disappoint his teammates.
He finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals.
He was also a thorn in the side of Lake Zurich throughout the game,
forcing one player to foul out and saddling another with foul trouble.
It was his energy that seemed to spark the Vikings according to
Widlowski.
"That was one of his most complete games," Widlowski said. "He had
some great rebounds and a lot of loose balls and he was very good
defensively."
Brian Dompke added 6 points and 8 rebounds for Fremd while Sliwa chipped in 5 points and Payton Kim 4.
Vinson's vigor helps Conant outlast Lake Zurich
Dick Quagliano
Overtime is for seniors. And fortunately for Conant's boys basketball team, it had
one on the floor for the extra session. Brandon Vinson, the Cougars' lone starting
senior, made sure it was neither his nor his team's last game Friday. Vinson
scored the first 5 points in overtime and Conant was able to pull away from Lake
Zurich 59-48 in the Class 4A sectional final at Fremd in Palatine.
Conant (23-6), which has not advanced to the supersectional since 2007, will
meet Rockford Auburn on Tuesday at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates in an
8 p.m. tipoff. Auburn defeated St. Charles East 55-48.
Conant became the first Mid-Suburban League team to win a sectional since St.
Viator in 2010. And it took Vinson's play in overtime to get Conant its
reservation.
"I had a really bad game and I knew I had to step up," said Vinson, who scored 7 of his 9 points in overtime. "It
starts defensively for me. I am quick. And once I hit that 3, I knew my team was confident in me."
Conant's Mike Downing won the tip in overtime, and after swinging the ball around the perimeter, Jimmy Sotos
found Vinson open. Vinson, who was two steps behind the arc, launched a perfect shot and the Cougards were
on their way.
"Brandon came up huge for us," said Sotos, who finished with 7 assists. "That's what seniors do. Play big when
we need them."
Vinson wasn't done. On Lake Zurich's ensuing possession, Vinson stripped the ball and drove the lane for an
uncontested layup and suddenly Conant led 47-42.
After a pair of free throws by Lake Zurich's Nick Penny closed the gap, Conant went long again.
Ryan "Big Country" Davis, who'd sparked the Cougars in the fourth quarter, drilled his second the-pointer of
the evening as Conant went on a 5-0 run to lead 52-44 with 1:47 left in overtime.
"They left me alone out there," said the 6-foot-9 Davis. "And that shot is not out of my range. I hit one earlier,
so I shot another one."
Lake Zurich (25-9), which had valiantly rallied earlier in the game to send it to overtime, couldn't put another
string of points together this time and was never closer than 7 from there.
"It was a great team effort," said Conant coach Tom McCormack, who joins former Fremd coach Mo Tharp as
the only MSL coach to win 5 sectional titles. "Lake Zurich is a tough team to guard. But I thought collectively
our guys did a super job."
The pace of the game was slow in the first half as both teams took long possessions. Conant led 16-11 at the
break.
Conant continued to control the tempo, and the Cougars' Ben Schols nailed a pair of 3s to open up an 25-13
advantage with 3:58 left in the third quarter.
That's when Lake Zurich began to speed things up.
Led by Ryan Kutsor and 3s from Michael Bens and Nick Meyer, Lake Zurich was able to regain the
momentum, pulling to within 27-25 on a basket by Kutsor just before the end of the third quarter.
"It was hard to prepare for their 1-2-2 in just one day, especially with their size," Lake Zurich coach Billy
Pitcher said. "We were more in rhythm in the second half. I thought about running earlier in game, but I was
worried that we would wear out at the end."
Davis stepped into the fray for Conant, scoring off the block and fromoutside the arc as Conant extended its
lead to 39-32 with 3:01 to play.
Lake Zurich still had plenty of energy left -- unlike Wednesday, when it ran for most of the game against Fremd
and scored just 3 points in the fourth quarter. The Bears mounted another rally, leaning on their seniors and
great fan support to get back in the game.
Penny began to bring his team back from the free throw line and outside the arc, getting his team to within 4240 with 1:07 to play on a 3.
The Bears came back with a huge defensive play, drawing a charge and getting the ball back with under a
minute to play. They didn't waste any time as Bens tied the game for the first time since it was 2-2 on a pair of
free throws with 38.4 seconds left. Conant missed a chance to win at the buzzer when Sotos missed a long 3
before overtime went firmly in favor of the Cougars.
Pitcher was pleased with his team's effort and performance all season.
"It was really an exciting feeling to get to the sweet 16," Pitcher said. "We are confident about our future but I
am really hurting for our seniors. This is really special group."
McCormack said there is nothing like senior leadership.
"Brandon was not having a great game at all," McCormack said. "But he was huge in overtime. Seniors find a
way. That's why you stick with him."
McCormack said the play of Davis was exceptional, especially in the fourth quarter when he scored 3 baskets
down low and nailed a 3 from the outside for 10 of his game-high 20 points.
"Ryan showed the whole package tonight," McCormack said, "Inside, outside and rebounding -- he was
terrific."
Davis also had 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots while Sotos had 16 points and Schols finished with 9.
Penny led Lake Zurich with 18 points while Bens had 13 points, Kutsor 11 and Meyer 5.
Nick Meyer Lake Zurich
Meyer can put the ball in the basket. He averaged 13 points per game for the Bears and was
a dangerous 3-point shooter. He hit five 3-pointers in a single quarter against Zion-Benton.
But Meyer may have made his biggest impact this season on defense. "Nick stepped up in
the big games and played defense against some of the best players in the conference," said
Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher, noting that Meyer held fellow all-area selections Justin
Smith (Stevenson) and Drew Peterson (Libertyville) below their averages twice each. "We
didn't realize that Nick was such a good defender, but he just really emerged in that area
this year. He's a very good athlete, he's smart, he doesn't go for fakes and he's just ready to
step up and take on the challenge of guarding a really good player."
Nick Penny Lake Zurich
This Penny was priceless for Lake Zurich. Penny, a senior guard, led Lake Zurich in points
(17 ppg), rebounds (6.5 rpg) and assists (4 apg). "It's rare to see one guy lead you in all
three of those categories," Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. "Nick did so much for us.
He's such a tough kid, just an ultra-competitor. He wants to win at everything, every drill,
every game. He was the heart and soul of our team and is a big reason we've had back-toback 20-win seasons for the first time in 15 years." Penny broke the single-season record
at Lake Zurich for most made free throws with 168.
All-area roster
Ryuji Aoki Stevenson Sr. G
Jack Beckman Grayslake Central Sr. F
Maurice Chambers Warren Sr. G
Michael Dougherty Vernon Hills Sr. F
CJ Duff Carmel Sr. G
Aidan Einloth Grayslake North Sr. F
Michael Green Round Lake Sr. F
Colton Jewell Lakes Sr. F
John Kerr Grant Jr. F
Ben Kimpler Libertyville Sr. F
Nick Meyer Lake Zurich Sr. F
Nick Penny Lake Zurich Sr. G
Drew Peterson Libertyville Soph. G
Justin Smith* Stevenson Jr. F
Jamal Thomas Grayslake North Jr. G
* All-area team captain
Honorable mention
G Danny Brito, Antioch, sr.; F James Connolly, Grayslake North, soph.; G Rodney Herenton, Stevenson, sr.; G
Trevor Koch, Antioch, sr.; G Ben Kusiak, Grant, jr.; G Bobby Krebs, Grayslake North, sr.; G Logan Lewis,
Grant, jr.; G Tommy Marcotte, Mundelein, soph.; G Bryan Nee, Wauconda, sr.; F Johnny Roeser, Carmel, fr.;
G Kyle Rohr, jr.; G Sam Ruhlmann, Grayslake Central, sr.; F Matt Stephens, Carmel, sr.; G Jarod Stonis,
Wauconda, jr.
Selections and profiles by Patricia Babcock McGraw
2015-2016 NSC All-Conference Team
School
Player
Yr
Ht
Pos
Antioch
Grant
Grant
Lake Forest
Lake Forest
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich
Lakes
Libertyville
Libertyville
North Chicago
North Chicago
Round Lake
Stevenson
Stevenson
Stevenson
Vernon Hills
Warren
Wauconda
Wauconda
Zion-Benton
Zion-Benton
Trevor Koch
John Kerr
Ben Kusiak
Lorenzo Edwards
Justin McMahon
Nick Penny
Nick Meyer
Colton Jewell
Ben Kimpler
Drew Peterson
Josiah Baldridge
Simeon Henton
Michael Green
Justin Smith
Ryuji Aoki
Rodney Herenton
Mike Dougherty
Maurice Chambers
Jarod Stonis
Bryan Nee
Kienan Baltimore
Marquis Henry
Sr
Jr
Jr
Sr
Jr
Sr
Sr
Sr
Sr
So
Sr
Jr
Sr
Jr
Sr
Sr
Sr
Sr
Jr
Sr
Sr
Jr
6'1"
6'5"
6'0"
6'7"
6'0"
6'2"
6'4"
6'3"
6'6"
6'5"
6'2"
6'3"
6'3"
6'7"
6'0"
6'1"
6'0"
6'0"
6'2"
6'0"
6'5"
6'1"
G
F
G
C
G
G
G
F
F
G
G
G
G
F
G
G
G
G
F
G
F
G
5'9"
5'10"
6'2"
6'1"
6'2"
6'2"
5'10"
6'1"
6'7"
6'2"
6'2"
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
F
F
G
2015-2016 Honorable Mention Team
Antioch
Grant
Lake Forest
Lake Zurich
Libertyville
Mundelein
North Chicago
Warren
Warren
Wauconda
Zion
Danny Birto
Logan Lewis
Ryan Kitchel
Michael Bens
Paul Steinhaus
Tommy Marcotte
Marreon White
Juwan Perry
Declan O'Connor
Kyle Drobnik
Jaalen Ray
Sr
Jr
Sr
Jr
Sr
So
Sr
Jr
Jr
Jr
Jr
Palatine (Fremd) Sectional
REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
REGIONAL
SEMIFINALS
REGIONAL FINALS
SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS &
FINALS
(1) Hoffman Estates
60
(Conant)
Rolling Meadows
37
(16) Buffalo Grove
(17) Rolling
Meadows
47
55
Hoffman Estates
(Conant)
Elk Grove Village
(8) Elk Grove
Village (E.G.)
(9) Palatine (H.S.)
47
30
55
41
Conant
Hoffman
Estates
(4) St. Viator
Hoffman Estates
60
47
48
52
(13) HoffmanEstates 64
(19) Schaumburg
50
Hoffman Estates
Grayslake (North)
67
62
(5) Grayslake North 59
Fox Lake (Grant)
52
(12) Fox Lake (Grant) 42
(21) Round Lake
40
SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Conant
59
Lake Zurich
48
(2) Palatine (Fremd) 66
Wheeling
48
(15) Grayslake Cent.
(18) Wheeling
51
55
Palatine (Fremd)
Prospect
(7) Prospect
(10) Barrington
64
47
57
41
Fremd
Lake Zurich
(3) Lake Zurich
McHenry
(14) McHenry
(20) Cary (C.-Grove)
52
42
48
39
Lake Zurich
Lake Park
(6) Lake Park
Hersey
(11) Hersey
(22) Dundee-Crown
44
42
63
56
54
45
37
38
Super Sixteen
SECTIONAL FINALS
SUPER-SECTIONALS
Hoffman Estates (Conant)
59
Lake Zurich
48
Rockford (Auburn)
55
St. Charles (East)
48
Niles (Notre Dame)
69
Deerfield (H.S.)
48
Chicago (Curie)
59
Chicago (Kenwood)
57
Chicago (Simeon)
88
Harvey (Thornton)
75
Alton (Sr.)
48
East Moline (United)
50
Lisle (Benet Academy)
61
Elmhurst (York)
55
STATE SEMIFINALS
Hoffman Estates (Conant)
43
Rockford (Auburn)
57
Niles (Notre Dame)
62
Chicago (Curie)
65
STATE FINALS
Rockford (Auburn)
53
Chicago (Curie)
55
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Chicago (Simeon)
66
East Moline (United)
36
Lisle (Benet Academy)
67
Joliet (West)
59
Chicago (Simeon)
48
Lisle (Benet Academy)
49
Chicago (Curie)
65
Lisle (Benet Academy)
59
THIRD PLACE
Oswego (H.S.)
41
Rockford (Auburn)
55
Joliet (West)
48
Chicago (Simeon)
83