Sports
Boys Basketball: Stagg Ends Lemont's Upset Bid
Stagg 62, Lemont 50. Indians can't stop the Chargers ability to drive to the basket and also hit the three-pointer.
The Hot Read: Lemont led 23-20 midway through the second quarter, but Stagg outscored the Indians 16-4 over the final 4:21 of the first half to take a 36-27 lead at halftime. The Chargers wouldn't allow the Indians to get any closer than 50-45 with 7:07 left and they went on to notch a 62-50 boys basketball victory on Tuesday night. Stagg had a balanced scoring attack with three players in double figures. Sophomore Sean Dwyer added nine points off the bench.
Patch's MVP: The Chargers rely on Darius Draper and Dan Ahern for so much, so receiving 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds from junior Brett Kaiser provided Stagg with a huge boost.
Key Stats: Stagg committed only five turnovers in comparison to Lemont's 10. Both teams finished with 23 rebounds. Stagg drained seven three-pointers, while Lemont was limited to a pair from behind the arc, both by Evan Bridwell.
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Stagg Leaders: Darius Draper (17 points, 5 rebounds), Dan Ahern (17 points).
Lemont Leaders: Evan Bridwell (21 points, 5 rebounds), Matt Lipowski (9 points), Eric Rydberg (8 points), Martin Sosinski (8 points).
Find out what's happening in Lemontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Quotable I: Chargers' senior Darius Draper on the team's slow start: "I thought we moved the ball pretty well. They hit some pretty tough shots early in the game and that kept them in it."
Quotable II: Chargers' coach John Daniels on what success now brings: "After a big win (against Thornton last Friday), you get a target on your back. For a while people didn't talk about us, but now that's a good problem to have. On the other hand, we have to be ready to take the best shots from people. Next, it's Thornridge on Friday and if they beat us that makes their season so that's something we have to face now."
Quotable III: Indians' coach Rick Runaas on recent call-up Eric Rydberg: "This was his best game. He did a nice job of catching and finishing and that's what we want him to do being a sophomore and being 6-4, 6-5. He did a nice job of that."
Team Records: Stagg, 18-5; Lemont, 8-15.
What's Next: Stagg faces Thornridge on Friday, while Lemont has a home date with Hillcrest on Friday.
