Lockport, Deksnys overwhelm Lincoln-Way East

LOCKPORT — There’s having a good half of a basketball game.

And then there’s a half like Matas Deksnys had in Friday night’s matchup with Lincoln-Way East.

An electric second quarter where the senior standout tossed in a trifecta of 3-point field goals and finished with 11 points, coupled with two more 3-pointers in the opening quarter provided a massive foundation to Lockport’s 60-44 victory over Lincoln-Way East.

“My teammates found me in transition,” Deksnys said. “I’m always there, always ready to knock down the shot. I was confident in everything.”

Deksnys’ path of destruction through the second quarter allowed the Porters (3-2) to build an impressive 35-18 cushion at halftime and, even after Lincoln-Way East found a way to rein in Deksnys after the break, the damage had been done.

While the Griffins (1-4) managed to hold Deksnys to only a pair of free throws in the third quarter, Lincoln-Way East didn’t make much of a dent in the scoreboard because the Griffins only managed to outscore Lockport, 5-4, in the quarter.

Lockport’s defensive effort also needs a nod of appreciation. Although the offensive attack wasn’t all that impressive in the third quarter, the defense truly was. It’s become a trend for the Porters of late and one that Lockport coach Brett Hespell hopes will continue.

“We’ve gotten better defensively from the beginning of the season,” Hespell said. “We thought it would be the area we were going to have to focus on, but Tuesday night we played great defense. Tonight we played great defense and sometimes that’s enough to give you some breathing room.”

Both teams got their offenses back on track in the fourth quarter and Lincoln-Way East did manage to work the Lockport lead down to nine midway through the fourth quarter, but solid work from the free throw line allowed the Porters to keep the Griffins from getting any closer.

“We have guys that are capable of making shots, we have guys capable of making plays, I think that is the strength of our team,” Hespell said. “It’s hard when Bolingbrook pressures you on Tuesday night, maybe we learned from it. They stuck with it and they were consistent.”

Not surprisingly it was Deksnys who sealed the deal by canning two free throws, then draining two more after he was fouled in the scrum after his initial second free throw attempt. Despite the second half scoring slowdown, that left Deksnys with 26 points on the night, a career-high.

“It feels pretty good,” Deksnys said. “Winning against Lincoln-Way East, a tough team in all sports. They were jumping things like screens. I was trying to use me as a distraction for my teammates and get them open shots. Then they switched to zone and we just had to move the ball around. "

It wasn’t only Deksnys that had a solid performance for Lockport. Junior guard Julius Smith and senior Sam Trafton both gave the Porters a lift off the bench. Smith finished with seven points, while Trafton chipped in eight.

Ryan Sucha led Lincoln-Way East with 13 points, while Jack Vegter joined him in double figures with 11 points, all in the fourth quarter.

“The second quarter was the tale of this ballgame,” Lincoln-Way East coach Rich Kolimas said. “No. 3 (Deksnys) just had a whale of a ballgame for them. He seemed to knock down every open three. They did a great job of running their offense and we really struggled against their zone. It just wasn’t our night tonight.”