Boys Basketball: Yale football recruit Graham Smith, Lyons wear down Palatine, advance to Jack Tosh semifinals

ELMHURST – Graham Smith can trace the origins of a unique basketball skill set back to the football field.

The 6-foot-5 Lyons senior, a Yale football recruit who helped lead his school’s football team to a Class 8A quarterfinal this fall, brings that physicality of the gridiron to the basketball court. But Smith also has a surprising skill level and speed when playing his second sport, which goes back to football where he grew up playing quarterback.

“It helps a lot with the football,” Smith said. “I have to block the bigger D-linemen, a lot of times I have to go up against the bigger guys so a lot of times I’ve been able to use more speed and quickness. I can choose when to use power and speed.”

Smith threw his body around plenty Wednesday, but he also showed flashes of that skill. He powered his way to a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds, and unbeaten Lyons wore down Palatine in the second half for a 59-34 win in the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic quarterfinal.

The Lions (11-0), which advanced to face St. Ignatius Thursday, led just 24-18 at half. But they put the game away with a 12-2 run to end the third quarter, and another 13-0 run early in the fourth quarter. Lyons rebounded better in the second half, and also turned it over just once after committing eight in the first half.

“We took care of the ball, we got more looks at the basket, we rebounded the ball better and the kids just played really hard against a really good team,” Lyons coach Tom Sloan said. “Palatine is very strong. We had a good second half.”

Palatine (10-3), no slouch size-wise, held its own on the boards in the first half against a big, physical Lyons team. Sam Millstone’s driving layup in the final seconds, Palatine’s fifth shot of the possession, had the Pirates within six at half.

But Lyons’ sheer strength and rugged defense eventually took its toll. Palatine’s 34 points were its second-fewest of the season. Palatine’s Connor May, a 6-foot-6 junior who scored a total of 66 points the first two games at York with two 30-point plus games, was held to 12 on 3-for-7 shooting, 3 in the second half.

“They’re undefeated for a reason,” Palatine coach Eric Millstone said. “They don’t have a lot of holes in that lineup and they compete at both ends of the floor. I would put our length up against most teams but the last quarter and a half you saw the difference in their length and physicality. They wore us down.”

Penn recruit Nik Polonowski scored nine of his 15 points in the first quarter, knocking down three corner 3-pointers to spark Lyons to a 16-7 start while Palatine missed its first seven shots. Lyons senior guard Jackson Niego, scoreless in the first half with just two shots, came alive during the game’s pivotal stretch.

With Lyons holding on to a 28-24 lead after Palatine’s Tyler Swierczek’s turnaround jumper, Niego hit a runner in the lane and converted a three-point play, then knocked down a corner 3. He scored eight straight Lyons’ points and all 13 of his total in the second half, as Lyons took a commanding 40-26 lead to the fourth quarter.

“We played that zone the first half and and a little bit of it is knowing what their limits are, and where the gaps are,” Niego said. “Once I started penetrating and seeing where I could get my shots that’s when it took off.”

Smith added eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter while his effort on the boards led to a 27-20 edge at game’s end. The Lions held Palatine to 29.5% shooting.

“The second half we switched it up, we were winning some of those 50/50 balls and putting our bodies on the line,” Smith said. “I think I’m a lot bigger than I was last year so I’m able to be more physical down low. A lot of guys that would maybe push me around aren’t able to any more.”

Swierczek added 13 points and six rebounds for Palatine.

“I thought we put our noses in there and battled,” coach Millstone said. “The point of emphasis was rebounding because if you aren’t ready Lyons will physically hurt you. That’s how physical they are. For the most part we did a decent job but over the course of 32 minutes you could see why they are as good as they are.”