Gabe Sularski, Lemont get their guard up, grind out comeback win over Fenwick

NEW LENOX – Gabe Sularski and Lemont went outside their usual identity Saturday for one of their biggest wins.

Lemont likes to run up and down the floor, and catch and shoot. That was evident with the volume of 25 3-point shots attempted.

Sularski, though, admitted Lemont has struggled defensively this season.

In the finale of the Lincoln-Way West Showdown, Lemont held Fenwick to just one basket over the last six and a half minutes for a 55-46 win.

“A huge thing in practice all week was defense,” Sularski said. “We got to the basics and the fundamentals. We played really good defense, our help-side on [Fenwick]‘s Nate Marshall was really good, we stuck to our guys.”

Matas Gaidukevicius scored 18 points, Zane Schneider 16, and Sularski and Alanas Castillo nine each for Lemont (18-7), which trailed 18-13 after a quarter and 28-24 at halftime.

Ty Macariola scored 16 points, and Marshall had 10 points and seven rebounds for Fenwick (17-8).

Lemont’s win was its fourth straight and couldn’t have come at a better time and in a better manner to coach Rick Runaas.

“Really good win for us, especially with the timing with seeding next week,” Runaas said, “to win a game like this against another quality opponent.

“We’ve been playing a lot of quality opponents, we’ve won some, we’ve lost some, but to win it at this time and the way we did was really important, because playoff games are more like this. I know we like to run up and down and catch and shoot, but playoff games aren’t like that.”

Schneider, a sophomore guard, came up huge late with seven of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. His driving layup and three-point play gave Lemont the lead for good, 47-44, with 4:17 left. He also hit three of four free throws with the lead in the final minutes.

“I’m really just looking to do anything to help my team out,” Schneider said. “It depends on the situation we are in in the game. If we need people to score, I’ll try to step up and get buckets.”

No surprise to Runaas to see his sixth man come through.

“He played last year as a freshman, so he is used to playing big minutes,” Runaas said. “He’s a secondary ball-handler, a guy that we trust with the ball, a confident kid.”

Fenwick led 44-40 with 6:35 left after Dominick Ducree’s steal and score.

But Marshall, a 6-foot-5 Michigan football recruit, picked up a flurry of three fouls in a short time. Without him, the Friars lost a physical post they were playing through, and their best defender.

“That changed the whole momentum of what we were doing. He’s a big part of our offense, and defensively he is our anchor,” Fenwick coach David Fergerson said. “That was a pivotal moment. The wheels just came off.”

Sularski, similarly, sat for a significant part of the first half with two fouls and attempted just one shot in that span.

But the 6-foot-6 junior didn’t let the absence of rhythm prevent him from making big plays late.

He scored seven of his nine points in the second half, his driving three-point play closing Lemont to within 44-43 with 6:07 left. His kickout set up Gaidukevicius' fourth 3-pointer for a 49-44 lead, right after Marshall’s fourth foul.

“Quick two fouls, but I’ve been in that scenario before,” Sularski said. “I told myself I just have to keep playing through it. Second half I thought I played well, decision-making and rebounds, and Matas hit the dagger.”

Sularski took just seven shots, but still impacted the game – which Runaas has seen all season after Sularski transferred from Benet back to his hometown and teammates he grew up with.

“That’s the biggest thing is, he’s bought into coming here and bought into the team concept,” Runaas said. “He could be looking for more shots, but he’s not. He’s looking to win, and he knows he has teammates he can go to.”

Fenwick’s loss ended a rough weekend that started with a 53-32 loss to Brother Rice, and a tough stretch.

The Friars in the last month also lost to Bolingbrook, Simeon and Young, by a combined 15 points.

“We have had a gauntlet of a schedule; that is what the players wanted,” Fergerson said. “I could have easily scheduled lesser teams, but that will not help us down the line. I still believe in my team. I think we have one of the hardest schedules in the state.”