LT Sports Roundup: Boys Basketball Drops 'Blackout,' Preps for Regionals

The Lyons Township boys basketball team (10-14) will play West Chicago (6-19) in its opening game of the Class 4A LT Regional at 6:30 p.m. Monday in La Grange.

LT, the No. 13 seed in the Schaumburg Sectional, would play No. 2 seed and West Suburban Conference Silver Division champion Oak Park-River Forest (18-5) in the regional semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday in La Grange. LT won their first meeting 65-53 Jan. 13 in La Grange but lost the rematch at Oak Park 58-35 Feb. 11.

West Chicago is the No. 18 seed. The regional final is at 7:30 p.m. Friday in La Grange against No. 7 Leyden (15-10) or No. 10 Morton (12-11).

The Lions visit Leyden at 7 p.m. Wednesday to conclude their regular season in the crossover game with the corresponding finisher in the WSC Gold standings.

LT tied for fourth in the Silver at 6-6 with Glenbard West after losing its conference finale to rival Hinsdale Central 58-47 Friday in front of a Blackout home crowd in La Grange. With a victory, the Lions would have shared third place with the Red Devils (16-8, 8-4 in Silver), which tied for second with York behind OPRF’s 10-2 mark.

Kenneth Smith (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 deflections), Chris O’Reilly (12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 deflections), Matt Robare (9 points with three-pointer, 8 rebounds), Jarryd Heath (6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), Chris Antalek (2 points, 6 rebounds) and David Reed (2 points, 3 assists) led the Lions.

LT won the earlier meeting 66-54 Jan. 20 in Hinsdale, but the Red Devils won six of their last seven Silver games, losing only to York. 

The Lions trailed 19-14 after one quarter, 26-17 at halftime and 36-27 after three quarters and never came closer than four points in the second half. 

LT shot just 27 percent from the field (14 for 52), including 1 for 22 from three-point range, while making 18 of 21 free throws. The Red Devils had eight three-pointers and sank 22 of 29 free throws.

On Feb. 14, the Lions shut out Proviso West in the third quarter in pulling out a 57-50 Silver victory in Hillside after once trailing 23-7 in the first quarter.

Smith (16 points, 5 deflections), Antalek (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 hustle plays), Robare (10 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 deflections) all scored in double figures. Zack Mahoney (5 rebounds, 5 assists) and O’Reilly (4 rebounds, 4 assists) added six points each, Matt Aikens (5 rebounds) and Heath (4 rebounds) had three points apiece and Reed added two points and two assists. Smith, Robare, Mahoney, O’Reilly and Heath each had one three-pointer.

Trailing throughout the first half, the Lions blanked the Panthers 16-0 in the third quarter to pull in front 40-34. LT collected 11 points on its last five possessions of the period, including back-to-back baskets by Robare to take the lead after Aikens’ free throws tied the game 34-34. O’Reilly scored just before the end of the quarter.

Proviso West (8-16, 4-8), which finished sixth in the Silver, was 0-for-6 shooting in the quarter along with two missed free throws and eight turnovers on 11 possessions.

LT had scored the last five points of the first quarter, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Smith from the corner, to close to 23-12 but still trailed 34-24 at the half.

The LT Regional champion advances to the Schaumburg Sectional semifinals at 7:30 p.m. March 7 against the Glenbard West Regional, where No. 3 Schaumburg (20-5) and No. 6 Glenbard West (15-8) are the top two seeds.

LT wrestling

LT senior Jaime Jones lost his lone match at 182 pounds in the Class 3A individual state tournament Thursday at the University of Illinois’ Assembly Hall in Champaign.

Jones (26-9) lost 11-6 to Loyola Academy senior Michael Paloian (32-9) and did not get a wrestleback since Paloian lost his next match in the quarterfinals to Wheaton Warrenville South senior Evan Welsh (32-3).

Jones was making his second state appearance. In 2011, he lost both of his matches at 189.

Oak Park-River Forest senior Sammy Brooks (38-1), who pinned Jones in the championship match of the DeLaSalle Sectional, captured the state championship Saturday 9-2 over Alton senior Taylor McGiffen (47-2).

Paloian ended up sixth for the last all-state medal, and Welsh was fourth. Five of the all-staters in the weight class were seniors.