THE SKINNY
Lake Zurich and Stevenson engaged in a back-and-forth, sluggishly defensive affair during the first three quarters but the Patriots outscored the Bears in the fourth quarter 18-10 and pull away with a 39-31 win Friday . Sophomores led the way on both sides. For Stevenson, Janine Fajardo scored 12 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range. She also added two assists and two steals. On the Lake Zurich side, Abby Pirron notched 10 points, establishing herself early on as the centerpiece for the Bears’ offense.
TURNING POINT
Fajardo took advantage of numerous Lake Zurich turnovers in the fourth quarter, shooting 2-for-3 from behind the arc.
THE STAR
Fajardo led all scorers with 12, but Taylor Buford set the tone for the Patriots. She dominated the glass, amassing nine rebounds, adding three assists and three blocks.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Bears matched the Patriots’ field-goal percentage, but Tom Dineen’s Patriots converted better at the charity stripe (61.9 percent to 40 percent) and from three-point range, making 38.5 of their threes, while the Bears made only 14.3 percent. However, the Bears’ key statistic reared its ugly head in the form of turnovers, all 12 of which inhibited their comeback chances late in the game.
QUOTABLE
“It was offensive basketball back quite a few years in the first half, but I thought our young kids performed really well all night long. And we really did some good things down the stretch. Once we got the lead, we were able to dictate how the game was going to be played.” —Dineen
