Boys Basketball: Lockport gets by Plainfield North

Updated: December 17, 2011 12:02AM

Lockport forward David Robinson scored seven of the Porters’ 12 points down the stretch as the visitors pulled away from Plainfield North for a 63-51 win Friday in the Plainfield North Boys Basketball Holiday Round Robin.

“They (Plainfield North) took a lot of chances on defense,” Lockport coach Lawrence Thompson Jr said. “I’m really proud of our kids. They didn’t put their heads down and try to go in right away. They let it happen. They made an extra pass and finished around the basket. We did a good job of not settling for jump shots. We did a good job of spreading the floor.”

The Porters (6-4) led 51-49 with 3:16 left in what was a tightly played game for most of the second half. Robinson, a 6-5 junior, then made the key play that helped Lockport break open the game. He grabbed a missed shot and scored a rebound basket while drawing a foul. The three-point play made it 54-49 with 2:41 to go, and Lockport never was challenged again.

Robinson, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds, scored on a layup with 1:25 left to make it 59-49 Porters. He sank two free throws with 35 seconds left for the final 12-point margin.

“He ran the floor well as a big guy. They kept moving and we got him in position where he could score the basketball. It was great, great teamwork by his teammates to get the ball into him so we could score,” Thompson said of Robinson’s play.

“I just tried to play hard,” Robinson said. “I just tried to get things done. I was just thinking (on that three-point play) I need to try to get that rebound. I put it back up and in.”

Lockport opened a 34-22 lead on the Tigers (3-8) with 7:24 to play in the third quarter, but Plainfield North rallied with a 20-9 run over the last seven minutes of the quarter to cut the deficit to 43-42 heading into the fourth quarter. The Tigers took their last lead of the contest when Kendal Interial hit a three-pointer with 7:30 to play in the fourth quarter to make it 45-43. The Porters’ Kyle Ward responded with a three-pointer of his own to put Lockport back on top 46-45. Ward finished with 15 points. Courtney Cole finished with 11 points for Lockport.

Plainfield North junior Jeremy Bert led all scorers with 20 points. He came out on fire in the first quarter, scoring 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. Two of those buckets were three-pointers.

Bert picked up two fouls in the second quarter, and the Tigers’ offense went to the bench with him. Lockport outscored Plainfield North 19-4 over the last seven minutes of the second period to take a 30-22 lead into halftime.

“Plainfield North was very organized and very passionate about the game. Coach (Nick) DiForti does a nice job with getting his kids to push the ball and put the pressure on you defensively. Trying to play the same pace as them is difficult,” Thompson said. “I’m proud of our kids for not falling into that for the most part. In the middle of the third quarter, we did a little bit and they got some threes off of that during their scoring run.”

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