No boys basketball conference in the Chicago area carries the distinction of the North Suburban Conference. For much of this season, Stevenson and Lake Forest have been ranked in the top five of the Tribune’s weekly poll.
No one understands the elite level of competition more than Lake Zurich. And the Bears feel they are better for it.
“Teams like Stevenson and Lake Forest get us ready for the postseason more than anything else,” senior guard Nick Penny said. “The better team you play against, the better prepared you will be.”
Of the Bears’ seven losses this season, four have come against the Scouts and Patriots. Lake Zurich’s average margin of defeat in the four games is 15.5 points. That number is a bit misleading, skewed by the two losses to the Patriots — by 31 points Jan. 6 and 22 points Feb. 3.
The Bears were much more competitive in two losses to Lake Forest — 60-54 on Dec. 10 and 52-49 on Jan. 23, when the Bears led briefly in the fourth quarter. Penny said a loss is a still loss. But against quality competition, even losing teams can reap gains.
“There is no such thing as a moral victory, but you learn from those games,” said Penny, who is tied with senior Will McClaughry for the team lead in field goal percentage at 59 percent. “It’s the mental toughness you get from being in a dog fight in the fourth quarter. We took the lead against Lake Forest and let it slip away. We know we can play with them.”
Lake Zurich has shown an ability to elevate its play after defeats to Stevenson and Lake Forest. After the Jan. 6 loss to the Patriots, the Bears won five of six games. In three games sandwiched between Jan. 23 and Feb. 3, Lake Zurich won two of three, both victories coming by an average margin of 23.5 points.
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“We are not going to hang our heads after [those games],” Bears coach Billy Pitcher said. “We’d rather play good competition than the other way around and come back down to play somebody else.”
With more than three weeks left in the regular season before Class 4A regionals begin the first week of March, this much is clear — Lake Zurich is a good team, but not yet a great team. The Bears shoot the ball well — 48 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point range. They defend well, allowing opponents to shoot 44 percent overall and 31 percent from three-point range.
But where Lake Zurich gets in trouble is with ball security. It doesn’t protect the basketball, averaging almost 11 turnovers a game while forcing just seven. Against superior teams, those lost possessions are critical. If the Bears hope to advance to the sectional round, they will have continue to shoot and defend well, while cutting down on turnovers.
“When we are playing well, we are clicking on all cylinders. Sharing the basketball, and playing hard on the defensive end,” senior guard Mike Travlos said. “We are very confident in each other. We hope to get to the sectional.”
If so, Lake Zurich won’t have to play Stevenson or Lake Forest. Both are in the Waukegan Sectional, while the Bears are in the Barrington Sectional.
“Obviously it’s nice to know that,” Penny said.
Jon Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.