Balanced LT Boys Basketball Wins Comfortably Over Hinsdale Central

Four Lyons Township players scored in double figures and the Lions kept the  offense in check with stingy zone defense Friday during a 66-54 win in Hinsdale, the Lions' fifth straight win.

In a West Suburban Silver game that featured what LT senior guard Matt Robare called “the ultimate rivalry,” he and junior forward Chris O’Reilly each scored 14 points, and senior forward Chris Antalek chipped in a hard-earned 13.

The Lions (7-9) took a 6-5 lead on an O’Reilly three-pointer early in the first quarter and didn’t trail the rest of the way.

"I think our kids are playing with confidence," said LT head coach Tom Sloan, whose team began the season 2-9 and lost seven straight at one point.

Senior guard Brad Anlauf led Hinsdale Central with 12 points. The Red Devils (9-6) also got nine points from senior forward Tom Garvin and eight from freshman forward Matt Rafferty. 

LT's zone defense held Hinsdale Central to 8-of-24 shooting (33 percent) in the first half and held Garvin scoreless through the first 16 minutes. The Lions led 35-24 at halftime.

The offense wasn't pretty, but Red Devils head coach Nick Latorre blamed the loss on his team's lackluster defense. He said the team didn't communicate well and didn't fight through screens.

"We dug ourselves a pretty deep hole," Latorre said. "Our defense has to be better early in the game."  

Lions junior guard Jarryd Heath scored 11 points in the third quarter for LT, helping expand the lead to 16 points after 24 minutes. 

Hinsdale Central made it interesting in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to seven points with just under five minutes to play, but the Lions went on a 13-5 run immediately after to make the lead 66-51.

"They executed their game plan well and we didn't," Latorre said.

It'll be a quick turnaround for both teams. The Red Devils will travel to Glenbard West Saturday night. That game starts at 7:30 p.m.

"We just have to learn from this game, forget about it, and move forward," Red Devils junior guard Brian Owens said.

The Lions, meanwhile, will try to carry their momentum into their Saturday night home game against Proviso West. That seven-game losing streak seems distant.

"The locker room has been a total 180," Robare said. "We're in the heart of our schedule and we're playing our best ball."

The Lions and Panthers tip off at 6 p.m.