LAKE VILLA, Ill. — Often times in sports a team can suffer a lapse after a big victory- maybe a disappointing performance after riding high from the previous one. However, Scouts’ fans can be thrilled to find out that was not the case last night with the Boys Basketball Team. The game was competitive for much of the contest before Coach Phil LaScala’s team used another huge 4th quarter, something becoming more common for this team, to escape with the road victory.

By Lake Forest’s standards, the first quarter was rather high scoring with Lakes holding a 15-14 lead. The Eagles shot the ball well en route to their 15 points and the lead. Sadly for the home crowd, the offensive barrage could not be maintained.

The Scouts limited Lakes to only seven points in the second quarter and went into the break with a 27-22 lead. LaScala’s defense buckled down and the scoreboard was an indicator of that. Lake Forest also improved on the defensive glass from the previous tilt with the Zee-Bees as they did not allow Lakes to get many second chance points.  

After the break, the strong defensive performance in quarter two seemed to be contagious. The two teams combined for 12 points and sloppiness ensued. As tough as it is to earn a road win, it’s even harder to do so with careless turnovers and empty possessions.

However, whatever was said between the 3rd and 4th quarters worked for the Scouts. A whopping 16-2 run opened the gates for Lake Forest and quickly closed any possibility for Lakes to retake the lead. It was another impressive showing for LaScala’s team as the bunch decided to save their best play for the most important period.

Aside from the 48-31 victory, a breakout performance from sophomore Jack Malloy may have occurred as well. The youngster had eight points on 75% shooting and added three rebounds and an assist. Senior Michael Pasquella chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds and Crawford Bolton added another 11 boards. Senior Jake Fisher provided steady scoring with 11 points and contributed a stout defensive effort as he finished with two steals.

With the win, Lake Forest moved to 7-10 and Lakes fell to 4-13. The Scouts travel to Libertyville to take on the rival Wildcats on Saturday.