Boys Basketball: Strong D has been the difference for Lake Forest

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Lake Zurich's Mirko Grcic (No. 34) defends Lake Forest's Evan Boudreaux during Friday's action. | Ruthie Hauge ~ Sun-Times Media

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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:33AM

Defense has been Lake Forest’s calling card.

Prior to Tuesday’s regular season finale against Round Lake, the Scouts boys basketball team had won four of its last five games, and 12 of its last 17.

In doing so, they’ve also put up some statistics – especially on the defensive end – that tell the story of a team that will be extremely dangerous once the IHSA Class 4A playoffs begin.

The biggest reason is simple. Their defense has been outstanding.

Just how good? The Scouts haven’t allowed more than 58 points to an opponent, in a non-overtime game, since Dec. 2 against Mundelein. In Friday’s North Suburban Conference Lake Division finale at Lake Zurich, they were so good, they didn’t allow a field goal for a span of 10:07 – which included the entire third quarter.

And although it’s been a complete team effort, two of the biggest reasons teams have struggled to score against the Scouts are 6-foot-7 freshman Evan Boudreaux, and 6-foot-9 senior center Creighton Titus.

“Both of those guys are so big that it’s tough for opponents to get shots off against them,” Lake Forest coach Phil LaScala said. “When they stay disciplined and get to the help side, it makes it even more difficult for opponents to score, and for them to penetrate the lane.”

The fact Titus and Boudreaux have developed an extremely physical style of play – especially in the latter part of the season – has also created a bit of an intimidation factor. It’s the kind of size and toughness coaches usually dream about having in the paint, particularly when the playoffs are about to begin.

“Defensively, as a unit, our guys are really working well together the past several weeks,” LaScala said. “People always talk about offense, but to be successful in the postseason, you have to have your defense playing its best.

“And it hasn’t been just our bigs. (George) Quall, (John) Hayes, (Luke) Streppa, (Thomas) Durrett ... those guys especially have done a great job on the ball defensively. But they’ve also been doing a great job with other things, like rebounding the basketball. Most importantly, they’ve been limiting teams to one shot and preventing offensive rebounds.”

Film class: One thing Lake Forest does a lot of is watch film and video footage of its games. For LaScala, who is in his seventh season leading the Scouts, its worth its weight in gold, especially since there are so many bright kids on his team.

“We’ve spent a lot of time lately watching film from some of our games,” LaScala said. “Me, our kids, the entire coaching staff. We watch the good clips, and the negative ones. It’s important to learn what we’re doing right, and build off of that, and single out what we’re doing wrong, and correct it.

“A lot of it is simply going back to basics sometimes,” LaScala added. “Lately, we’ve put a bigger emphasis on doing that.”

When in doubt, more defense: When a team’s leading scorer talks about the importance of defense the majority of the time during an interview, it’s yet another sign the Scouts’ coaching staff has hammered its point home.

Senior guard Thomas Durrett leads Lake Forest with about 15 points per game, yet when asked what he thinks the key to a strong postseason is, his words are almost a carbon copy of LaScala’s.

“I think the biggest reason we’ve held other teams’ point totals down is how aggressive we’ve been on defense,” Durrett said. “The three most important things are staying disciplined, knowing our assignments and pressuring the ball. If we can continue do that, I think we can be a really tough team to play against in the playoffs.”

Those playoffs begin for Lake Forest on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 7:30 p.m., at Palatine High School. The Scouts, who are a No. 5 seed, will play the winner of the game between No. 12 Grant and No. 21 Wheeling. They didn’t face either club during the regular season.

 The top seed in their regional is No. 4 Waukegan – another red-hot team the Scouts would likely have to face, if they advance.

“It doesn’t matter who we wind up playing, we just have to worry about ourselves,” LaScala said. “That’s how we can best prepare to play against a team we haven’t faced yet this season.”

On the rise: One player who hasn’t gotten as much notoriety as some of his teammates – but has elevated his game significantly lately – is junior guard Ben Simpson.

Simpson’s defense off the bench against Lake Zurich was arguably the best on the Scouts’ entire roster. He also chipped in four points, seven rebounds and three assists, and seemed to be involved in one way or another the entire night.

“Ben’s been doing a great job,” LaScala said. “One of the things he’s been doing is coming off the bench and giving us quality minutes. He’s really been stepping up to the challenge, and what a lot of people forget is he’s also been guarding some of the other teams’ top players most of the time.

“That’s a big part of the reason why he’s been playing a lot more,” LaScala continued. “But the one thing I’ve told our kids is that we’re gonna need that kind of effort from everyone. The big thing in the playoffs is, this is everyone’s last straw, so everyone they face from now on is going to be giving it their all. And that’s probably the most important thing for these guys to know ... that they have to really be mentally prepared once the postseason begins.”