Boys Basketball: Lemont wins small-school title at Romeoville tourney
By Tina Akouris takouris@suntimes.com December 28, 2012 11:42PM
Lemont's Martynas Einikis (35) shoots for a two, during Friday night's game between Lemont and Ridgewood high schools. | Paul Bergstrom ~ For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 31, 2013 6:41AM
Lemont, with four players scoring in double figures, cruised to a 71-46 victory Friday over Ridgewood in the small-school championship game of the Romeoville Tournament.
Joe Hehir led the Indians (12-1) with 17 points, with Juozas Balciunas and Mike Wisz each adding 16. Martynas Einikis chipped in 12 points.
Despite Lemont getting out to a 10-point lead early in the second quarter, Ridgewood (10-5) held Balciunas, the Indians’ point guard, scoreless in the first quarter and to seven points by halftime.
“They were pressuring us from the very beginning. We just moved the ball and tried to play our game,” Balciunas said. “Every player has just one of those days when you’re off. I just tried to do whatever I could to help my team win. It’s not always about putting up big points.”
Balciunas didn’t score his first basket until he sank a three-pointer at the five-minute mark of the second quarter.
The Indians’ lead grew to 13 late in the second quarter. Lemont led 33-20 at halftime.
Balciunas sat for part of the third quarter after missing a three-pointer. Balciunas had a spark early in the fourth quarter when he slapped the ball away at midcourt and went in for a layup.
“I think I pulled him when he took a long three and I told him that he has the green light (to shoot) most of the time, but that (three-pointer) was a bad shot,” Lemont coach Rick Runaas said.
Lemont scored seven unanswered points to start the third quarter. Ridgewood countered with a 6-0 spurt, but the Indians had a 20-point lead going into the final quarter.
Igor Cirkovic led Ridgewood with 14 points.
