At this point before the turn of the new year, the boys basketball team has two choices: They can fold over and spiral down into their tournament; or they can earn some momentum late in 2017. They have an opportunity to get back on track this Saturday against Deerfield following their three consecutive losses, all of which have been in the topsy-turvy NSC. Tomorrow is Alumni Night as many of the former Scouts either return from college or are spending time with their families around the holiday season. Along with the former student-athletes, the current students should do their best to give the Scouts some added energy. The game tips off at 6:00 pm in the Competition Gym between the Scouts and the Deerfield Warriors.

Deerfield (2-6) is coming in hot, with wins coming over Vernon Hills and Elk Grove. They’ve also lost to two NSC opponents in Mundelein and Warren in their Thanksgiving tournament. Their record indicates that Lake Forest has a great chance to win this one, but Deerfield will surely look to upset the Scouts on the road. The Warriors are led by Alex Casieri, a senior guard who has been difficult for teams to handle. Two years ago, Deerfield knocked off the Scouts in the Regional Final on a buzzer beater at Glenbrook North, ending the high school career of famed Scouts forward Lorenzo Edwards. The Warriors also defeated Lake Forest a year ago, by three points at Deerfield. With two straight losses to Deerfield, the Scouts better come out angry.

Coach LaScala’s squad lost their last game to Libertyville in a heartbreaking overtime defeat. They had a great chance at victory in the final seconds of regulation but couldn’t secure the win. They looked improved in their most recent game, but have still yet to put a complete game together since the St. Viator win. Their star player, Ben Gibson, has really come together in his senior campaign with a 22-point outing in their latest loss. Mead Payne, who looked like the next beast down low for LaScala, has cooled as of late but still has the ability to go off for 20+ points. Lake Forest will need both those guys to play well, and Sean Trkla–who put up 16 points against Libertyville–needs to have another big game. Their deep guard rotation has to take care of the ball for the blue and gold to get back on track.

Let’s make it out to the Competition Gym at 6:00 tomorrow night to see the Scouts basketball alums and cheer for a victory over Deerfield.