The Lane Tech basketball team defeated the Taft Eagles Friday (Dec. 3) 50-40 at the Chicago Elite Classic. The Lane basketball team gained the edge on the Eagles as the CPS Northside leader.
The game started slowly with both teams missing shots they would ordinarily make in their home gyms. Senior point guard Sean Molloy took early control for the Lane Basketball Team (5-1, 0-0 CPS Red West/North) with seven first quarter points. Lane grabbed a 12-9 first quarter lead that it would never relinquish.
It just seemed like the kind of game Lane wanted to play. Tough aggressive defense, control the tempo, score inside and kick out for open jumpers. It all worked, except for the open jumper part. The Basketball Team could barely find a bucket from beyond the arc, going 2 for 18 for the game.
Even so, Taft (3-2, 0-0, CPS White-North) never went away. Tons of effort on the offensive and defensive boards kept the Eagles in the game, out rebounding Lane 49 to 31.
The difference in the game was turnovers. The Eagles gave up the ball 25 times with Lane scoring 27 of its fifty points off Taft turnovers.
Molloy led all scorers with 14 points. Sean also had an impressing block in the first quarter swatting a ball away above the rim.
Interestingly, Lane’s scoring was spreadout throughout its roster. In addition to Molloy’s 14, Sophomore forward Shaheed Solebo had 9, Senior forward Stephen Goonan had 8, Junior guard Jack Tzur had 5 and three other players had 4 points each.
Taft’s 6’3” Junior forward Armin Aliloski lead the Eagles with 13 points and 18 rebounds.
With the Basketball Team lifting its record to 5-1 and Taft falling to 3-2, Lane looks to be the best CPS team on the Northside.
Lane Coach Nick LoGalbo wanted none of that, downplaying the rivalry with Taft.
“It’s another game,” LoGalbo said. “We improved tonight. We got better. Hats off to Taft. They played a great game. The got a new coach. He’s doing a great job. But it’s just another game for us. We prepared the same way we prepare for everybody. We did what we needed to do tonight one possession at a time.”
Modesty aside, Lane’s appearance in the prestigious Chicago Elite Classic is no accident. The Chicago Elite Classic started ten years ago by Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter and Simeon coach Robert Smith. The legendary CPS coaches wanted to showcase top programs in bring in some out-of-state teams to amp up competition. This year’s out-of-state teams include Vashon High School and Chaminade College Prep from St. Louis, Evangel Christian from Louisville, Gonzaga from Washington, DC, and Mater Dei from California.
“It means a lot [to win in the Chicago Elite Classic,] Lane Senior guard Sean Molloy said. “We’ve been trying to get ourselves on the map. We started a few years back and we are getting more and more noticed from the local tournaments. To win in this, just proves that we should be here.”
“It was very clear tonight that it meant a lot to our boys to be here,” LoGalbo continued. “It meant a lot for our school to be here. We had a big crowd. We had alumni come out. I thought we represented well tonight.”
The Lane Basketball Team will get no rest next week with Steinmetz on Monday, North Lawndale on Wednesday, Schurz on Friday and Oak Forest on Saturday.
Likewise for Taft, from one high profile shootout to another. The Eagles will face host Ridgewood at the Ridgewood Shootout on Sunday (Dec. 6).
