Wildcats end losing streak with “be-Heamon” size effort

LEE – Last Friday, Lee ended five-game skid, which included blowing a 20-point second half lead to Pittsfield at home with an overwhelming fourth quarter against Lenox, their size underneath being the biggest factor.

And no one was bigger for Lee than Heamon Williams.

Williams scored a game-high 29 points and controlled the boards as the Wildcats outscored Lenox 25-9 in the fourth for the 74-65 win.

“We knew we had an advantage inside, and we knew we were bigger and more experienced down-low,” said Lee Head Coach Dan Korte. “I really didn’t think they had a good-match-up with [Williams] – or with Jake [LeProvost] inside.”

After both teams were knotted 32-32 at the half, Lenox utilized their up-tempo style for much of the third quarter with freshman Bailey Patella leading the Millionaires with 22 points, mainly on fast breaks and quick outside shots.

Ben Herrick’s three from the wing at the end of the third quarter gave Lenox a seemingly comfortable 56-49 lead heading into the final frame.

Lee had other thoughts as LeProvost (21 points) started to take the ball into the lane, and Williams began to finish underneath as the Wildcats started a 10-0 run to open the fourth.

The run was capped when LeProvost scored on a back-door cut and Williams followed with a short left hook to give the ‘Cats the 57-56 lead.

“Getting to the glass and taking it to the paint was the game plan, we just didn’t start executing until the fourth quarter,” said Korte.

With five minutes left, Lee began to slow the game down and spread the floor, creating opportunities for LeProvost to drive and Williams to post up, eliminating the frantic shooting pace Lenox had successfully instilled during the first three quarters.

“We were able to put some pressure on them in the fourth quarter and force them into turnovers and got some easy hoops,” said Korte.

Williams put the Wildcats up 63-58 with 2:53 left in the game, as Nick Sitzer followed up with a hoop to put Lee up by seven in the final minutes.

Lenox’s Kris Vahle (nine points) got his own rebound for a put-back with the foul to cut the lead to 66-60, and Herrick (10 points) then added a late three to cut the deficit to three points.

LeProvost then hit a jumper with 43.7 seconds left to ice the game and give the Wildcats the 70-65 lead, as Lenox Coach Scott Sibley called off his players from fouling as time dwindled down.

“I am really proud of my guys we’ve been through a really difficult patch of games,” Korte said. “They haven’t let up and it’s a true sign of character and testament about a team when your backs up against the wall.”

Lee’s bench also contributed, especially in the first half, as LeProvost was held to four points.

Paul Boutiette chipped in with eight points, while Kenny Retzel had 10 points, and Andy Consolati pulled down some crucial boards to help the Lee squad stay balanced.

“We know we need more offense, we know we need more balance when we play good teams – if we don’t have a third, fourth, fifth guy step up and hit big shots for us, we are not going to go as far as we want to go this year,” Korte said.

Posted by Tim Davis on January 31, 2013. Filed under High School Sports,Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry