Boys Basketball: Hayes, Boudreaux spark Lake Forest’s comeback win
By Bob Gosman Contributor January 29, 2012 3:52PM
Lake Forest's John Hayes (center) passes the ball between Mundelein's Sean O'Brien (left) and Chino Ebube during last Thursday's game. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 3, 2012 8:21AM
Winning on the road in the North Suburban Conference is never easy in boys basketball play.
Winning at Zion-Benton is even harder, especially when you score a grand total of 13 points in the first half. Lake Forest put itself in a tough position on Saturday, before storming back in the second half for a 54-42 victory.
The Scouts trailed by nine points after two quarters.
“We didn’t come out with a lot of energy, and we were turning the ball over,” said LF coach Phil LaScala. “Our defense really saved us. At halftime, we stressed really pushing the ball up the floor to see if we could get some layups. We got our guys moving, and that gave us some life and a spark in the second half.”
The Scouts exploded out of the gate and went on a 17-2 run to start the third quarter. Although Lake Forest (11-8, 4-4) ultimately won by a double-digit margin, the Zee-Bees trailed by only four points with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth.
Senior guard John Hayes scored a team-high 14 points, while freshman forward Evan Boudreaux added 12 points.
Junior Ben Simpson drew the assignment of guarding Zion-Benton’s Malik Yarbrough. Although Yarbrough finished with 18 points, Simpson and Co. made him earn them.
“(Simpson) did a tremendous job on Malik,” LaScala said. “Ben is very versatile; he can defend quicker guards and bigger guys.”
Lake Forest also rebounded the ball consistently throughout the game.
“One of our main goals was to make sure we limited them to one shot,” LaScala said.
Great game: Lake Forest and Mundelein played a classic on Jan. 26, and the Mustang eventually secured a 70-69 overtime victory.
“I thought that was a great high school basketball game,” LaScala said.
The Scouts trailed by 11 points going into the second half, but whittled away at the deficit behind the play of Hayes (23 points), Boudreaux (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Thomas Durrett (13 points).
“We did a great job of chipping away and battling back,” LaScala said.
With the score tied at 58-58, Mundelein had the ball and held for the final shot. The Scouts played great defense and forced Robert Knar to miss a tough shot at the buzzer.
Knar didn’t miss much, though. He scored a game-high 34 points, including a pair of three-pointers — in quick succession — in OT.
With his team trailing by a single point, Hayes made a tough runner in the lane to give the Scouts a 69-68 advantage with about 12 seconds left. Mundelein took the ball up the court, and when a shot didn’t present itself the Mustangs called timeout with three seconds remaining.
Mundelein’s Sean O’Brien missed a shot, but Chino Ebube was there to tip in the rebound right before the buzzer sounded.
“They executed very well and got the offensive rebound on the weak side,” LaScala said. “It was a bang-bang play, and their kid did a good job of crashing the boards.”
Despite the defeat, there was a lot for Lake Forest to take from its comeback effort.
“(Games) like that will only make us stronger in the long run,” LaScala said.
On the schedule: The Scouts have a huge pair of games upcoming, with home games against Warren on Friday and Lake Forest Academy on Saturday.
When the Scouts played Warren on Dec. 16, they led by one point deep into the third quarter. The Blue Devils opened the game up with an 18-5 run on their way to a 58-47 victory.
“We defended really well in that game,” LaScala said. “We need to continue to (force) tough shots.”
LF Academy is led by 6-foot-4 Kori Babineaux, one of the area’s most prolific scorers.
“This is a game where you don’t have to get the kids up; it’s an automatic one,” LaScala said. “It’s great for our community, and it’s always a packed house with a tremendous atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun to play them.”
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