It’s possible to know an opponent a little too well.
The third meeting of the season created pretty ragged play between Lake Park and Glenbard North during Tuesday’s DuPage Valley Conference boys basketball matchup, but the Lancers managed to pull away for a 53-38 victory in Roselle.
After two previous losses to the Panthers by a combined 19 points, it was a welcome reversal for Lake Park (12-12, 7-7) as it tries to surge over the .500 mark heading into the playoffs.
“The first two games we lost to them I feel like we gave it away,” said Lancers senior forward Andrew Vega. “Tonight it was real personal. Our team handled it well and got the ‘W.'”
Vega returned from an sprained ankle that cost him a missed game against Metea Valley, but he showed little rust while coming off the bench to score 9 of his game-high 17 points in the first half.
Lake Park’s defense especially shined in the second quarter — the second of three straight single-digit scoring periods the Panthers struggled through. The Lancers took their first lead on Jake Hianik’s 3-pointer at the start of the second quarter, and then a 14-2 run to close the half put the game out of reach.
Turnovers plagued the Panthers (11-13, 4-10) in every quarter, even as they tried to rally during an 18-point fourth quarter. They committed 23 turnovers on the night.
“We’ve got to do a lot better job of handling the ball,” said Panthers coach Joe Larson. “Turnovers hurt us. Four points in the second quarter really dug us a hole before halftime.”
Greg Newsome sat the first half but sparked Glenbard North with a team-high 10 points in the second half. Kibet Chepyator added 9 points before fouling out with about three minutes left.
Garrett Fant scored 15 points for Lake Park while Daniel Spejcher scored 8 points off the bench.
“You play somebody three times and they’re going to know everything about you,” said Lake Park coach Josh Virostko. “But I’ll take ragged and a win all day. I’m proud of them at 12-12. To be in fourth place in the conference with this group, I’m proud of them.”
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