Lancers make case for clock
Give Lake Park coach Billy Pitcher credit for honesty.
His first words after the Lancers knocked off Fenton 45-33 on Saturday were: ‘‘That’s probably why people want the shot clock.’’
For three quarters, it was a solid game between two evenly matched teams. But Pitcher changed things up in the fourth quarter by using a spread offense to run down the clock and hold on to an 11-point lead.
‘‘We blew a 21-point lead [Friday] against Batavia, so we were extra-cautious,’’ Pitcher said.
It worked. Lake Park (15-8) made good decisions and saw the game out. It’s easy to see why killing the clock is so enticing for coaches.
‘‘Our job is to win the game,’’ Pitcher said. ‘‘We forced a couple of shots [Friday] and let Batavia back in the game. We were not going to do that tonight.’’
Lancers junior Cam Cerese has been one of the breakout players of the season, averaging 23 points. He had 14 points and five rebounds against Fenton.
‘‘I did not see [Cerese’s] breakout coming at all,’’ Pitcher said. ‘‘There is always a guy that surprises you every year, but it is usually a sixth or seventh man.’’
Cerese said it was simply hard work that led to his improvement.
‘‘I was up at 5 a.m. every day in the summer, working as hard as I could,’’ Cerese said Saturday. ‘‘It’s definitely been rewarding to see it pay off this season.’’
Cerese said he’s definitely ready for the shot clock, which the IHSA has approved for use in shootouts and tournaments. It’s expected to be another few years before it is in place for every game.
‘‘It really sucks when you are down and you have to watch the other team kind of do what we did tonight,’’ Cerese said.
Simeon remains No. 1
Simeon remains on top of the Super 25. That is a bit of a surprise based on what I was thinking after the Wolverines were upset Thursday by Curie. But when I sat down Sunday and set everything out in front
of me, it was an easy decision.
The three contenders for the No. 1 spot were Simeon, Benet and Kenwood.
The Wolverines have beaten five teams that have been ranked this season (St. Rita, Perspectives-Leadership, Curie, Benet and Hyde Park). Their overall résumé is even more impressive, with victories against Moline and seven quality out-of-state opponents, including Philadelphia Imhotep, one of the best teams in the country.
It’s also hard to forget that Simeon’s victory against Benet was lopsided for three quarters. The Wolverines led by 20 points at halftime and by 18 after three.
Both of Simeon’s losses came down to the final shot. The Wolverines lost to Kenwood 46-43 and to Curie 50-48.
Benet and Kenwood have seven victories apiece against ranked teams. The Broncos have a slightly stronger overall résumé, but the Redwings beat them last week, so they stay at No. 2.
City tournament time
The Public League playoffs begin with first-round games Wednesday. Second-round games are Friday. The quarterfinals will be Feb. 7, the semifinals Feb. 9 and the championship game Feb. 11 at UIC.