[A preview of my story in next week’s Inside—Booster.
By Jack Lydon
The Lane Tech Champions (2-1) crossed the bridge over the North Branch only to be turned away in defeat 53-39 at the hands of the DePaul Prep Rams (3-0) on Wednesday evening. Coming off a big 74-72 win over tenth ranked Niles North on Tuesday, the Champions had an opportunity to show what they are made of against the two-time returning state champions and neighbor, DePaul Prep Rams.
I suspect few among us, very few, enjoy the imagery of a battle on the banks of a river reminiscent of the Battle of Stamford Bridge, nearly a thousand years ago in 1066, where the Viking invaders of Northern England lead by Harold Hardrada were turned away in a bloody day long battle with Harold Godwinson’s Saxon army more than this writer. But hey, they named the event, “Battle of the Bridge,” so what should one expect.
DePaul Prep’s Tom Winiecki Gym, which is quite literally on the banks of the Chicago River, was packed and load. The energy was surprising for being only the third game of the season. Both teams seemed a little out-of-sorts in the first quarter. Shots were not falling. The game was scoreless for the first two and a half minutes. The Champions missed shot after shot going without a field goal in the first quarter. The Rams held a 12-3 lead at the end of the quarter.
“I think it was a combination of things. Nerves had something to do with it. Our guys came out and I thought they were a little on edge in the moment,” said Lane Tech head coach Nick LoGalbo.
Was it poor shooting by the Champions or defense by the Rams?
“I think it was a mixture. They got some good looks that they usually make and they didn’t make them,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt. “We doubled the box, so we had front and backside help. They had a hard time getting it into [Lane Tech senior center Dalton Scantlebury] so they raised him off the baseline,” said Kleinschmidt.
Both teams settled in and normalcy returned, the normalcy of the DePaul Prep’s smothering defense. The Champions struggled on the offensive boards managing only 12 points by the half.
The Champions recovered in the second half. Standout forward senior Luka Pinto and Zach Mazanowski, 14 and 10 points respectively, hit big shots as the Champions began to dig themselves out of a hole. They cut the deficit to nine points with 3:41 left but it’s really hard to come from behind on a Tom Kleinschmidt coached team. The Rams simply don’t turn the ball over and don’t miss their free throws. The Rams hit 9 of 10 free throws to put away the game.
The new piece to this year’s Rams squad is junior guard Rykan Woo, a transfer from Whitney Young. Woo’s offensive production has been a boost for the Rams, 20 points against Lane, 16 against Niles North and MVP for the tournament. Woo adds the outside shooting threat that the Rams lost with the graduation of PJ Chambers from last year’s state title team.
“AJ [Chambers] played great, Rykan [Woo] played great. It won’t show up in the box score but Shawn [Porter] did a nice job on the big kid. And then what will go unnoticed is that Rob [Walls] could be the MVP of the game [drawing] three charges in the first quarter. It set the whole tone for the game,” Kleinschmidt said of his Rams victory.
“It’s different,” Woo said of his transfer to DePaul Prep, “from Whitney Young to a private school so it’s something to get used to.”
Woo denied the importance of his offensive spark to the Rams. “I wouldn’t say that,” Woo said. “It was a team effort to be honest. If I am going to be completely honest, you can’t just say it was me. It’s everyone. I’m not gonna be able to get any shots without any of the other players on this team.”
Despite the loss to number 3 ranked DePaul Prep, the season outlook for the Lane Tech Champions is bright. The length of forwards Scantlebury, Mazanowksi and Pita, matched with the experienced guard play of seniors Brayden Rosenkrantz and Kenneth Rosario should give the Champions an excellent shot against Southside powerhouses Whitney Young, Simeon, Kenwood and Curie in the new Chicago Public League Red Shield division. The Champions will have to contend with Lincoln Park for dominance on the Northside.
DePaul Prep moves on to face Kenwood Sunday afternoon.
“[Kenwood’s] got two kids back and they got a transfer. They are always good. They’ve got a lot of talent. They haven’t played yet. I’ll get a look at them. I know two or three of their guys. I know their coaching staff. They are loaded. They are going to be a tough out.”
