Lemont’s Matas Gaidukevicius has always been a big fan of Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry. Curry has made the most 3-pointers in NBA history. And when Gaidukevicius really gets going, the senior guard can pour in the threes just as quickly as his idol. “I’ve been watching him play forever,” Gaidukevicius said of Curry. “I just love how he’s not afraid to shoot anything. “That’s what made me want to work on my shot.” Gaidukevicius had a Curry-like outburst Friday night, nailing four 3-pointers in the first quarter to get Lemont rolling for a 75-61 win over host Oak Lawn in a South Suburban Conference crossover. Alanas Castillo scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half to lead Lemont (13-4, 5-0 SSC Blue). He also pulled down eight rebounds. Gaidukevicius finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Gabriel Sularski scored 18 points and Shea Glotzbach contributed 13 points. Donte Montgomery led Oak Lawn (11-5, 3-1 SSC Red) with 22 points and six rebounds. Marc Harvey finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, with Jack Dempsey scoring 12 points and Omar Saleh pulling down nine rebounds. Gaidukevicius could not miss early, and neither could his teammates. He hit four of the team’s eight 3-pointers in the first quarter. Lemont’s Matas Gaidukevicius (20) grabs a rebound against Oak Lawn during an South Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Lawn on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown) “You’ve got to come out with confidence,” Gaidukevicius said. “I like to start better because usually I finish better, too, when that happens.” Gaidukevicius is making the most of his senior season while appreciating his health. As a junior, he missed the first six weeks of the season with a broken left wrist. “Last year, in the preseason and the start of the season, I had to go to every practice and I couldn’t even play,” Gaidukevicius said. “I had to do conditioning but I didn’t play a second of basketball. It was not fun. Just running all the time. “This year, I played all summer, building our chemistry. We play much better as a team now.” After Montgomery scored 10 points in the first 2:30 of the second quarter to pull Oak Lawn even, Lemont closed the first half on a 12-0 run to take a 40-28 halftime lead. The advantage shrunk to single digits just once in the second half, when Harvey’s 3-pointer cut the Spartans’ deficit to 62-54 with 5:10 to play. Sularski scored the next six points and Lemont cruised from there. Lemont’s Matas Gaidukevicius (20) drives to the basket against Oak Lawn during an South Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Lawn on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown) Castillo took the torch from Gaidukevicius in the second half. He hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter and six of Lemont’s 16 in the game. “We’re like a dynamic duo,” Castillo said of teaming up with Gaidukevicius. “It’s like Steph Curry and Klay (Thompson). I don’t really care if he’s Steph and I’m Klay. “If I get open and I hit the 3-point shot, I’m happy with that.” Lemont coach Rick Runaas is certainly pleased as well about any performances that can have his players likened to guys like Curry and Thompson. “Most of us played well together,” Runaas said. “At the beginning of the season, we’d have one or two guys on at a time. When we’ve got both of those two guys hitting shots, we’re good. “Then we had Gabe getting to the basket and Shea contributing a ton, too.” Lemont’s Matas Gaidukevicius (20) takes a shot against Oak Lawn during an South Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Lawn on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown) As for Gaidukevicius, Runaas is well aware of how quickly he can heat up. Now, he’s pushing him to find more consistency. Gaidukevicius had a cold stretch after the first quarter Friday. “It’s just a mindset,” Gaidukevicius said. “I have to keep working on it in between games. I’ve got confidence to let it fly all the time, so I’ve just got to keep working on it. “I know they’ll start to go in all the time.”