Boys Basketball notes: Carter Reid carving his niche as Lyons’ unsung hero

At times, Lyons senior forward Carter Reid can be overlooked.

By now, Reid is accustomed to playing a background role.

In football, Reid specializes in a position often undervalued – punter.

In basketball, Reid is one of several tall, strong bodied and active forwards for the Lions.

But Reid, like in football, is carving his own place on the Lions. His strong season has been instrumental for the Lions in their hunt for a 20-win season.

The Lions (19-4, 5-3) failed to build on wins over Proviso East and Riverside-Brookfield by losing 54-47 to Downers Grove North on Tuesday. But Reid, who scored 10 points in Saturday’s home win over the Bulldogs, is a key player in the Lions’ rotation.

At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Reid said he credits his solid basketball season to his work in the offseason. Reid said he’s happy to contribute, joining forces with 6-5 Graham Smith and 6-6 Nik Polonowski to make up part of the Lions’ deep frontcourt.

“Over the summer, we were fortunate to get some good competition in games in our summer league,” Reid said. “I got a good idea of what role I would be filling with my teammates. Last season a lot of juniors got to play, but Jackson, Nik and Graham got a lot of time. Because of that, I knew a lot of the teams we faced would have already seen them and would be prepared to game plan against the guys they knew about.

“I came into the team with the mentality that those guys will get me open, and that I will have lots of opportunities. I knew I needed to be a presence on both sides of the ball in the post, so we could continue to grow as a unit. We have the guys to go far this season, and if I continue to develop with my teammates and get the job done every night, I look forward to seeing what we can do.”

Reid can do a multitude of things on the court for the Lions. His size, energy and athleticism is tough to defend, especially combined with a deep frontcourt capable of wearing down many opponents.

Reid played soccer during his youth days, and played JV soccer this past fall. He started punting in football as a junior. He plans on adding boys volleyball to his list of sports in the spring.

“Carter is a very strong and versatile player,” Lyons coach Tom Sloan said. “He’s been playing really well and giving us a lot of energy.”

Miller playing his old school

Downers Grove South coach Zach Miller will forever be a part of Glenbard East’s basketball history. His successful career running point guard for the Rams while playing for his legendary dad Scott, is one of the top moments in program history. Led by Zach Miller and backcourt partner Johnny Hill, the Rams finished in third place in Class 4A in 2011.

Now, 12 years later, Miller is running his own program at Downers Grove South. The Mustangs (8-15, 6-2 West Suburban Gold) have experienced some tough moments, but a home win over Glenbard East on Saturday can be a building-block moment.

“My family and I are forever grateful for everything we accomplished at Glenbard East,” Miller said. “But I bleed blue now. It’s just another opportunity for us to get better and try and put 32 minutes together. We control our own destiny here with these last five games.

“This is a big bounce-back weekend for us to get things moving in the right direction after last week.”

Miller said he’s been encouraged by his team’s recent improvement, notably 6-5 sophomore Daniel Sveiteris.

“Daniel has really put together some strong offensive performances for us over the last few weeks,” Miller said. “He’s been getting us some much needed buckets. Junior Richard Gasmen is back from a high ankle injury that has kept him out most of the year. He should be a big addition to the backcourt of Will Potter and Jalen House.”

Conference races update

Several conference races are going down to the wire. According to hsbball.com, Hinsdale Central (22-3, 7-1) holds a slim lead atop the West Suburban Silver. Downers Grove North (21-3, 7-2) is right behind the Red Devils. Proviso East is atop the West Suburban Gold at 17-5 and 7-1. South Elgin (16-9, 13-1) looks in firm control in the Upstate Eight, while Wheaton Warrenville South (21-3, 9-1) leads the DuKane. Benet (24-1, 12-0) has a two-game lead in the East Suburban Catholic, and Riverside-Brookfield (20-5, 9-0) remains in first place in the Metro Suburban Blue.