Boys Basketball: Lake Forest rings up win over LFA on ‘Bling and Blue’ night
By bill mclean Contributor February 6, 2012 2:58PM
Lake Forest's Sam Downey scores inside against Lake Forest Academy's Faith Ekakitie during Saturday night's showdown. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:30AM
It was early February.
But it felt like — and sounded like — March.
A March Madness basketball game, specifically.
Right after the final buzzer sounded at Saturday night’s Lake Forest Academy-Lake Forest High School boys hoops game, LFHS students flooded the home court to envelop their heroes and celebrate the Scouts’ 59-52 victory.
“Awesome. That was awesome,” said LF freshman Evan Boudreaux. “I was surprised to see that.”
It was “Bling and Blue” night, part of the school’s Diamond Anniversary campaign.
The smallish, cozy gym was packed and loud, from tip to final buzzer. Student fans, from both schools, didn’t just cheer from bleacher seats.
They also stood, bounced around. The general mood, for most: festive.
“We look forward to this game every year,” said LFA senior power forward Faith Ekakitie, who’s looking forward to playing in front of significantly larger audiences as a defensive end at the University of Iowa.
“The atmosphere here … it doesn’t get any better than that,” he added.
The Scouts’ win Saturday night evened the series since 2009 at 2-2.
Saturday’s game was knotted, at 42-42, at 6:13 of the fourth quarter, after a bucket by Lake Forest junior forward-center Sam Downey. LFA (7-10) trailed 36-28 midway through the third quarter.
“I liked how we fought back there in the second half,” said LFA coach Matt Vaughn, whose Caxys, following a three-point play by senior guard Kori Babineaux, led only once, at 42-40 in the fourth. “But we didn’t pounce from there.”
LF (12-9) produced a 10-1 run to secure a 51-43 advantage. Ekakitie (game-high 25 points, 4 three-pointers, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) then hit a trey to cut the lead to five points with 3:06 showing.
But Scouts junior guard Ben Simpson (6 points) answered with a three-pointer shortly thereafter, and capped the game’s scoring with a pair of free throws.
“We did a good job of making plays late, and defensively, in the second half, I liked how we guarded their top scorers (Babineaux and Ekakitie),” said LF coach Phil LaScala.
Babineaux entered the crosstown game averaging 28 points a game. The big-time, go-to Caxy finished with 21 points, including 10 in the second quarter.
“We rely heavily on him,” Vaughn said. “There’s pressure there. But he likes that.”
LF’s Boudreaux, meanwhile, looked nothing like a freshman in his first SRO home game. The 6-foot-7 forward poured in a team-high 19 points and came down with a game-high 11 boards.
His demeanor throughout, on Super Bowl Eve: super composed.
“I’ve always been told to relax, to let the game come to me,” Boudreaux said.
Scouts senior center Creighton Titus finished with 10 points and five rebounds; Downey and senior guard Luke Streppa netted eight points apiece.
Streppa scored five points on a pair of buzzer beaters. He nailed a trey as time expired in the first quarter; his field goal, at 0:02 of the second frame, put LF up 26-22.
Gotta have Faith: Ekakitie scored eight points in the first quarter Saturday night.
The score, after one quarter: LFHS 11, Ekakitie 8.
Ekakitie and Babineaux tallied all 22 of LFA’s first-half points, and their team’s first 33 points.
The first Caxy to score, other than Ekakitie or Babineaux, was junior guard Porter Veach. His basket, at 0:44 of the third quarter, pared LF’s lead to 38-35.
Pining: Three injured standouts had to sit out Saturday’s game: LF guards Carter Bass and Thomas Durrett, and LFA guard Charles Harris.
LaScala expects Bass and Durrett back in action promptly.
Western Michigan-bound Harris suffered a season-ending knee injury in a preseason scrimmage.
“Charles misses playing. Really misses it,” Ekakitie said. “You can see it in his eyes.”
Quote-worthy: “They play super hard, and they all know their roles. It’s also a well-coached team.” — LFA coach Vaughn, on LF’s Scouts after Saturday night’s game.
Thinking aloud: Who else out there is tired of the “Air ball, air ball …” chant by fans after a member of the opposing team shoots and misses everything?
It’s classless and old — almost as ancient as that insipid, cliché-y crowd “wave.”
Recap: LF fell to visiting Warren 50-38 Friday night, after trailing 48-38 with 3:45 left.
Boudreaux paced the Scouts with 11 points.
On the schedule: LF hosts Stevenson at 7:30 p.m. Friday; Scouts seniors will be recognized, beginning at 7:15 p.m.
LFA visits St. Patrick at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
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