Lyons Township Traps OPRF

The boys basketball team knew Lyons Township’s 1-3-1 half-court trap was coming.

 As it turned out, that didn’t make it any easier to handle.

Lyons created all sorts of problems and changed the game for good when it unveiled its trap in the first half. The Lions rode their defense to an avalanche of momentum and an eventual 76-56 victory Friday night in Oak Park in a battle for sole possession of first place in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division.

Things looked rosy for OPRF (7-5, 3-1) early when Josh Lang threw down a breakaway dunk and Gabe Levin drilled a three-pointer to put the home team up 15-11 in the first quarter.

But Lyons (13-2, 4-0) was just breaking out its trap. The defensive switch proceeded to stymie the Huskies, who committed a rash of turnovers and watched the defending WSC Silver champions burn them at the other end in transition and on cuts to the basket.

The visitors closed the first quarter with an 8-0 run that vaulted them ahead 19-15. It was the start of a 27-5 spree that gave the tall and long-armed Lions a 38-20 advantage with less than three minutes left in the first half.

“We had some breakdowns mentally where we were in the wrong spots, where we threw some careless passes and at times held on to the ball too long and allowed for LT to trap and use their length to their advantage,” OPRF coach Matt Maloney said.

Lyons enjoyed a 44-27 halftime lead and took a 64-46 cushion into the fourth quarter. The winners wound up shooting 51 percent (32 of 63) from the field.

“We didn’t take many jump shots,” Lyons coach Tom Sloan said. “We were getting more of our stuff in the paint. … The boys did a good job of attacking the basket and finishing in transition and in traffic.”   

Illinois State-bound guard Nick Zeisloft’s 16 points led a balanced-scoring effort for the Lions, who had four players reach double figures. Nick Burt collected 15 points and eight rebounds, while Mark Sewall and Dylan Fiedler came off the bench to score 14 and 12, respectively.

“They hit a lot of shots early,” Zeisloft said of the Huskies. “We knew they were going to have a good start. Once we got settled down and they started missing some shots, I think they stayed at 16 points for the majority of the second quarter, we just made our run.”

OPRF committed 26 turnovers, 16 in the first half.

“I was disappointed in our effort and our physical and mental toughness at times,” Maloney said. “That needs to improve. With a young squad you need to expect that, but you’re just hoping it doesn’t happen as long as it did.”

“As a team, all of us, we have to grow up together,” said Lang, who kept the Huskies afloat with a game-high 22 points.

“[Lang] was the one guy who understood what we were trying to do against that zone,” Maloney said. “He was willing to attack the gaps, especially when we moved the ball quickly.”

Lang went 8-for-9 from the field and 5 of 7 from the line.

Levin finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.