Boys Basketball: Sandburg Rallies, Then Holds on to Beat Lincoln-Way East

The Hot Read: For the second time this season, this Southwest Suburban Conference Blue matchup came down to the wire. After overcoming a 15-2 first-quarter deficit, Sandburg needed to hold off a late rush by Lincoln-Way East to even the season series. The Eagles trailed 15-6 after one quarter and 21-20 at halftime, but grabbed a 36-31 lead after three quarters and stretched the advantage to 42-33 with 3:44 remaining. The host Griffins, however, went on an impressive 10-2 run to pull within 44-43 with 31.8 remaining. Sandburg’s Jason Viane hit a pair of clutch free throws with 22.6 on the clock to make it 46-43. Lincoln-Way East had a chance to tie the game, but Jelani Yancy’s three-pointer was off the mark and Sandburg’s Brian Dace grabbed the rebound, threw a long outlet pass to Nick Lehnerer, who made a layup, was fouled and sank the free throw to make it 49-43 with 6.8 left and seal the win for the Eagles. The season series will be determined when the two teams meet a third time in the regional opener.

Patch’s MVP: Sandburg senior Jason Viane turned in one of his better performances in a while to lead a balanced attack by the Eagles. He finished with a game-high 14 points and nine rebounds and swished a pair of key free throws down the stretch.

Key Stats: Sandburg outrebounded Lincoln-Way East 28-17. The Eagles earned numerous second-chance points in the second half thanks to offensive rebounds. After turning the ball over 12 times in the first half, Sandburg limited its turnovers to five in the second half.

Sandburg’s Leaders: Jason Viane (14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal), Ken Payonk (12 points, 6 rebounds), Nick Lehnerer (11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block), Brian Dace (7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal) and DJ Deere (5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal).

Lincoln-Way East’s Leaders: Jelani Yancy (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals), Jaelan Jones (8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Joel Magrum (7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block), Michael Thompson (6 points), Jeremy Jones (4 points, 2 rebounds) and Zoran Arsenovic (4 points, 3 steals).

Quotable: Sandburg coach Todd Allen on his team’s win: “It was a good battle, a good high school game. I was a little concerned when we were down 15-2, but I don’t think we could’ve played much worse in the first quarter. Give the guys credit; they hung in there and battled back. Our kids kept their composure (at the end) and did what they had to do for us to get a good win on the road. We’re fortunate to get the win.”

Sandburg junior forward Ken Payonk on the early deficit: “We got down quick, but we never thought we were out of it. We wanted this game bad.”

Lincoln-Way East coach Rich Kolimas on the loss: “We had them on the ropes early. They were throwing the ball away and we had really good looks in the first half. I thought we blew a lot of opportunities where we could’ve had a 15-, 16-, 17-point lead, but we let them creep back into the ballgame.”

Team Records: Sandburg: 16-8 overall, 8-4 in Southwest Suburban Blue. Lincoln-Way East: 13-11 overall, 6-6 in Blue.

What’s Next: Sandburg will host SSC Blue opponent Homewood-Flossmoor Tuesday on Senior Night before closing the regular season next Friday at Joliet West. Lincoln-Way East wraps up the regular season with a pair of conference home games, taking on Lincoln-Way Central Tuesday and Lockport next Friday.