Discover more from The Journal 425
By Mike Anderton
Journal Contributing Writer
Poor shooting plagued the Viking boys basketball team at Shorewood last Friday where they lost their non-league opener, 51-50.
The scrappy affair was close all the way, with Lake battling from 4 points down late in the fourth quarter to take a one-point lead only to surrender the game-winning lay-in with 5 seconds left.
It wouldn't have come to that had not Lake shot the ball poorly, 20 of 62 overall for 32%, including ZERO of 17 from 3-point range. Shorewood, conversely, though only one-for-10 on its threes, shot 49% for the game, on 19 of 39.
Lake was 3 for 15 in the first quarter, which it finished behind by 12-7. But the Vikings turned that around (temporarily) in the second quarter, where its man to man defense caused 10 Shorewood turnovers and Lake hit its first 5 shots including two by Ryan Legg. Lake's sparkplug in the first half was Chris Finley, who contributed all of his 8 rebounds and 7 points before halftime.
Finley helped take up the slack when Viking center Sean Stickney got into early foul trouble and was forced to the bench, drawing his third foul less than two minutes into the second quarter.
Shane Kaska's 15-footer 4 seconds before the halftime buzzer gave Lake a 23-21 lead at intermission.
Shorewood adjusted well to Lake's pressure in the second half, taking much better care of the ball; only 5 of the T-Birds' 20 turnovers came in the second half. Shorewood penetrated the Viking defense in the third quarter, scoring all 8 of its baskets (out of 12 attempts) from close range. Meanwhile, Lake turned cold again, making just 4 of 16 shots in the period, to fall behind 37-33 at the quarter break.
Stickney returned to action in the second half where he proved to be unstoppable underneath, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds before being whistled for his fifth foul with 1:37 left and Lake trailing by 45-44.
Arvid Isaksen's basket with 50 seconds left looked like a three which would have tied the game at 47-all, but the officials (who didn't seem to be in position to make an accurate call) ruled it a two, leaving Lake trailing by 47-46.
A pair of free throws by Thomas Sanchez 3 seconds later put Shorewood ahead 49-46, until Kaska's jumper cut it to 49-48 with 17 seconds left.
Lake pressured the ball in backcourt, with Legg swiping it and feeding to Kaska for a lay-in to put the Vikings on top, 50-49 with 12 seconds left.
But the Vikings allowed Sanchez to dribble the floor and scoop in a lay-in for a 51-50 lead with 5 seconds left.
Mike Schneider had a good look at a 16-footer at the buzzer but it fell just short, and the Shorewood student body stormed the floor, as if their team had just won the state championship.
Kaska finished with 12 points on 6 of 19 attempts. TJ Dodge, though he missed all 9 of his field goal tries, contributed 6 assists.
Sanchez led all scorers with 25 points.
Lake held a 36-33 rebounding margin, made 10 of 14 free throws (to Shorewood's 12 of 20) and had 13 turnovers to Shorewood's 20.