There’s something about playing the upper-tier teams that brings out the best in Lake Zurich. Back on Jan. 21, they beat Mundelein, who were 15-2 at the time. And Friday night, they defeated Zion-Benton, who sported a 17-7 record coming into the game.
“It’s funny,” said Bears coach Billy Pitcher, “we beat Mundelein, we played well against Stevenson, another good team. It just goes to show you.”
What it shows is that Lake Zurich, by scoring victories over teams like Mundelein and Zion-Benton, is actually capable of beating anyone on any given night. Their next goal is to achieve consistency in their on-court execution, which in turn will lead to greater consistency in the “Win” column.
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While the Bears’ Mike Boyd started out particularly strong, getting three of Lake Zurich’s first four field goals, it was Mirko Grcic who took over as the team’s primary offensive weapon. Boyd started the scoring with an aggressive, driving layup, sending a message to the Zee-Bees that the Bears were going to be playing hard.
After Zion’s senior guard Dondre Osborne fired off a 3-pointer, Boyd answered right back with a tres behind the free throw paint. Followin Drake Orser's score on a tip-in under the net, Boyd knocked in another 3-pointer from behind the left side of the line.
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After that, Grcic took over, scoring on a driving layup after a fast break across three-quarters of the court. After a steal, Grcic scored again on another fast break, this time from half-court distance. Yet another steal by Boyd gave Grcic his third straight basket on another layup, and the Bears led at this point 16-5. In fact, the remaining four points scored in the quarter were also by Grcic, and Lake Zurich led 20-11 after the first quarter.
“All of these colleges are scouting Yarbrough,” said Pitcher, referring to The Zee-Bee’s standout freshman forward Milik Yarbrough. “I wish some of these scouts would take a closer look at Mirko. He deserves more attention than he’s getting. He’s really under appreciated."
Grcic continued his torrid pace in the second half, on a tip-in off the backboard with an assist by Brendan Seeger. After four straight points by Yarbrough, on a jumper left of the net and a pair of free throws after a foul by Jeff O’Brien, Colin Rathe scored on a jumper near the baseline for a 24-15 Lake Zurich lead.
Grcic had two more field goals going into the half, on a jumper in front of the net on a nice feed by Seeger, and a stuff on an alley oop pass by Colin Rathe, giving Lake Zurich a 31-21 lead at halftime. The Bears also used the alley oop to perfection on several occasions in the second half.
Grcic continued his scoring with a tip-in on his own rebound early in third quarter for a 33-21 Lake Zurich advantage. The Zee-Bees scored two straight baskets, Yarbrough’s jumper and senior forward Owen Worthington’s jumper from the left corner. But the Bears, victims so many times this year of third and fourth quarter letdowns, came right back with two straight scores, one on a jumper off the left side by Rathe and the other a jumper by Seeger.
The Bears’ next score was a hooking jumper by Grcic. The two teams continued to exchange scores throughout the remainder of the quarter, and Lake Zurich led 43-36 heading into the final period.
In the last quarter, the Bears outscored the Zee-Bees 18-14, as a number of other players got into the act and picked up Grcic. Ryan Roach, getting some playing time, opened the quarter going 1-for 2 from the line. Colin Rathe then hit a 3-pointer from behind the free throw paint after Andy Cox missed a pair of free throws.
After Yarbrough converted a 3-point play following a foul by Tyler Every, Grcic executed an over the shoulder basket while under the net, and followed that by going 2-for-2 from the line.
What was most encouraging is the unrelenting pace that the Bears maintained throughout the game. And while Grcic was the team’s scoring star, there were contributions from a number of players.
“It was a real team effort,” said Pitcher, “Boyd, Seeger, Rathe, everyone was contributing tonight.”
Bears Pause: Grcic led the Bears with 24 points; Boyd and Rathe each had 10 points. Zion-Benton’s Yarbrough led all scorers with 25 points.
Lake Zurich is now 6-19 with one regular season game to go. The Zee-Bees fell t0 17-8.
Next Up: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 22, versus Grant at home in the final game of the season. The Bears will play their IHSA quarterfinal game at 6p.m., Monday, Feb. 28.
