Lincoln-Way West falls to Stagg
By Tim Tierney For Sun-Times Media November 30, 2012 11:40PM
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Updated: January 3, 2013 10:55AM
Listed a bit generously at 6-foot-1, Stagg guard Kevin White was among several Chargers who had a big impact Friday night against Lincoln-Way West.
White had 16 points and eight rebounds and three teammates also scored in double figures as Stagg opened its SouthWest Suburban Red season with a 65-55 road victory.
“We have a lot of versatility now,’’ White said. “When I bring the ball up, we’ve got shooters, we’ve got post play. I can drive and dish. I really rely on my teammates.’’
Stagg (6-0, 1-0) had key contributions from 6-6 Kamil Barnas (14 points, 8 rebounds), guard Max Strus (13 points, 9 rebounds) and forwards Sean Dwyer (11 points) and Steve Kubiak (8 points, 7 rebounds).
The downside for Stagg was its first-half defense. The game was tied 35-all at halftime.
“We knew we had to come out better defensively,’’ White said. “We usually try to limit a team to 40 for the game. We came out with a defensive mind-set in the second half. We didn’t want to lose this game.’’
“Defensively, I thought we were bad,’’ Stagg coach John Daniels said. “Sometimes you just get caught up in things. Oh, we can score. Strus can shoot. Dwyer can shoot. Kevin is gifted. Kubiak is a heckuva spark. We have five guys who can legitimately score 10 points a game.’’
Stagg outscored Lincoln-Way West 19-5 in the third quarter, including a steal and drive to the basket by White that gave the Chargers their first double-figure lead at 47-37 with 3 minutes, 25 seconds left in the quarter.
“Halftime hurt us,’’ West coach Jon White said. “We had some momentum. It kind of stopped, the kids stopped. I told the kids the first few minutes of the third was going to decide the game. We started 0-for-5.’’
West (0-4, 0-1) was led by 6-5 Hayden Witt (20 points, 7 rebounds) and guard Franco Pettinato (16 points, 6 rebounds).
“This just showed my younger kids it’s time to hit the weight room,’’ White said. “But I honestly thought Hayden Witt was the best player on the floor.’’
