Sandburg's Lehnerer, Bolingbrook's Russell Put On a Dazzling Show

They could not have had more disparate first quarters Tuesday night in Orland Park.

Bolingbrook senior forward LaTree Russell was on a mission, scoring 10 of his team’s points, including six in succession, in the first quarter of the

On the other hand, Sandburg guard Nick Lehnerer did not even enter the scorebook in the opening eight minutes.

But it all changed after the opening quarter, which ended with the teams tied 16-apiece.

Sandburg would hold Russell scoreless in the second quarter, and Lehnerer started to heat up with five points on two field goals. The last, a driving layup with seconds to play before the break, gave Sandburg a 25-23 lead at the intermission.

It only set the stage for a brilliant second-half showdown.

Lehnerer had four three-point possessions in the third quarter, and his three-point play gave the Eagles their largest lead of the Southwestern Blue game at 37-27.

But he saved his best for the fourth quarter after Bolingbrook mounted a furious run to lead 49-44 with less than three minutes to play.

Lehnerer hit nothing but net from 23 feet off a double screen to reduce the Raiders' lead to 49-47, and his 13-foot baseline jumper on the ensuing possession framed a frenetic final two minutes.

"We ran two set plays for me," Lehnerer said. "I came off the screen and was open—and hit it. I don't think (the Raiders') record shows how good they are. They are going to be a scary team in the playoffs."

Russell was the unquestioned genesis of that comment.

The senior added 10 second-half points to finish with a team-high 20 points.

"It was his best game of the year," Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. "He was clearly the best player on the court, and even they knew that."

"We did everything we could to slow him down," Lehnerer said.

"He's a big, physical guy," said Kenny Payonk, who ended the classic with a tip-in on an out-of-bounds play as time expired. "I got into early foul trouble (guarding him), and we had to do everything we could to stop him."

"Give Bolingbrook credit," Sandburg coach Todd Allen said in the aftermath of the Eagles' 53-51 win. "They're much better than when we played them the first time."