On Tuesday Feb. 11, the Boys varsity basketball team faced off against rivals from Lake Forest in the main gym. Both teams fought hard, showcasing expert defensive plays, but the Cats ended up falling to the Scouts with a final score of 23-26.
The Cats started the game strong in the lead, with Senior Point Guard Liam Hanson making a three point shot with five seconds left in the first quarter, bringing the score up to 6-3. At the start of the second, Junior Power Forward Bryce Wegrzyn made a layup and a free throw to bring the score up to 9-6, which Lake Forest responded to with a free throw of their own. After Hanson made another two free throws, and a Lake Forest player made a shot, the first half finished with a score of 11-9.
“Defensively, we played really well,” said Wegrzyn, who has been on the Varsity team for two years. “We held their best player to one point. I mean, offensively, we just took some shots that didn’t fall.”
The second half started with more excellent defensive plays on both sides. Lake Forest took the lead, scoring four points before Wegrzyn made two free throws to bring the score tied to 13-13. The Scouts scored a few more times, which brought the score up to 13-20 at the end of the third. At the start of the fourth quarter, Hanson made a layup, followed by Wegrzyn making a basket of his own to bring the score up to 17-20.
Lake Forest responded with their own basket, which Wegrzyn matched, bringing the score to 19-22. This back and forth continued on, with Lake Forest making a layup, which Senior Small Forward Stevan Gavric matched with his own shot, making the score 21-24. After a foul, Wegrzyn made two free throws, bringing the score to 23-24. The game was fought hard, but after a foul, the Scouts made two more free throws to bring the final score to 23-26.
“They don’t quit, you know, this team just keeps fighting. You know, all season, they’ve had a lot of adversity that they’ve had to fight through, and they continue to do that”, said head coach Brian Zyrkowski.
Zyrkowski, who has been head coach for eight years, also said “They gave everything they had tonight. The one thing I’m proud of is that this late in the season, they give that sort of effort, and that is something that could help us come playoff time.”
Wegrzyn led the team in points, scoring eleven in total, followed closely behind by Hanson, who scored ten.
With this loss, the Cats fall to a 14-12 overall record, with a 4-8 record in the North Suburban Conference. The Cats have no more home games remaining in the regular season, but their season continues on at Warren Township on Feb 14, and at Mundelein on Feb 19. The Cats will then host the Boys Basketball regional on Wednesday, Feb 26.
![Senior Liam Hanson (1) is escorted by his parents before the game to celebrate senior night. He will miss “hanging out with [his] boys and going out to eat after games and practices.”](https://www.lhsdoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_1389-1200x800.jpg)
