NDCL had a unique game plan against Geneva on Jan. 13. The Lions used their 3-point shooting to set up their paint offense, and it worked to their benefit. Rebounding opportunities continued to fall their way, and the second-chance looks were the difference in the Lions’ 76-62 victory. NDCL improv es to 5-7 on the season, while Geneva falls to 7-4. Ryan Lipowski got the fireworks from beyond the arc started early, hitting a 3-pointer on the Lions’ opening possession. But then Geneva took early control. Caden Proy found two drives in the lane for a pair of early layups in a 13-point opening quarter for the Eagles’ senior. Lipowski responded with a pair of 3s that tied the game back up at 12. The Lions attempted 11 3-pointers in the opening frame, which Coach Steve Steinmetz had as his game plan. “We’ve been an inside team all season with Brendan (Hernan),” Steinmetz said. “We know teams are going to adjust to us. We prepared for some zone and told them to be ready for that possibility. It took us some time to get our feet going with what we needed to do, but we were able to knock down some shots.” Antonio Rivera scored off a turnover and breakaway for the Eagles but was answered by a turnaround jumper by Luke Keep. Nate Csiszar and Keep traded 3-pointers and Proy added a 3 before the quarter to make it a 22-17 Eagles lead. Then the Lions’ defense took over. They held Geneva to just four second-quarter points and the offense got into a rhythm. Drake Berschig hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key to get things started for the Lions. Both Lipowski and Matt Wojciechowski had 5-0 runs on their own to extend the Lions’ halftime lead to 41-26. “We started moving off the ball better on the offensive side of the game,” Lipowski said. “We started to get more paint touches. That then opened up the offense to more opportunities and more points.” The third started with the same tone for the Lions, as Lipowski got a bucket in a crowded paint from Brendan Hernan to answer from a strong move in the post by Proy on the other end. Hernan and Keep scored off offensive rebounds for the Lions as the game went out of reach. NDCL hauled in 55 rebounds to Geneva’s 16. Hernan had 17 on his own, and Wesley Jacobson added 11. “Wes and Luke did a great job on both sides of the boards tonight,” Steinmetz said. “But especially on the offensive glass. They got us some easy second-chance looks, and we talked about it before the game, not letting them have second-chance looks and limiting theirs. Even when we weren’t shooting it that well, we were able to get other opportunities.” Jacobson finished with a double-double, also totaling 11 points. Hernan had nine. The Lions were led by Lipowski with 18 points and seven rebounds. Keep was also in double figures with 13, while Jason Rook also added nine and a dunk to prevent any comeback bid by the Eagles. NDCL had several new names in key roles as the season began and were thrown into the fire, opening with St. Edward. Tilts with Hawken, Kenston and Gilmour out of the gate pushed the Lions and they are seeing that work come to light at the midpoint of the year. “We were battle-tested,” Lipowski said. “We always want a difficult schedule, and we’re using it to get a couple of close wins. It’s really helped bring us together.” Geneva had a hard time adjusting to the Lions’ zone defense, preventing the drives to the rim that gave it the lead in the first. Coach Connor Zimmer understands they need to be able to adjust to switching defenses and continue to adapt as the game goes. “It forced an adjustment, and we got to it late,” Zimmer said. “I take the blame on that. We didn’t prepare for that coming out. NDC did a great job at bringing that to us. We have to recognize that sooner, and I think that that wasn’t what killed us tonight. It was opportunities. Antonio Rivera is the best shooter in our conference, and Nate Csiszar is a close second. Both had off nights, and we just need others to be able to pick up those points.” The Eagles were led by Proy with a game-high 33 points, and Csiszar with 11. Geneva returns to CVC Lake play with a trip to Edgewood on Jan. 16. NDCL returns to NCC play with a trip to Lake Catholic on the same date. THE SCORE NDCL 76, Geneva 62 ...read more read less