Lake Zurich 'found ways' to overcome Batavia's pressure defense in Thursday's win

Lake Zurich still remembered the last time they played Batavia, a loss that saw the Bears turn the ball over 29 times in a blowout loss.

So Lake Zurich’s 50-42 win over Batavia at the Loyola Christmas Tournament was massive. Not only did the Bears avenge last season’s defeat, but they were also able to get over the hump and get a big win against a formidable opponent.

“We had a chip on our shoulder, so we were ready to win this game,” said junior guard Layne Nordstrom, who scored eight points.

The Bears lost single-digit games against Stevenson, Maine South and Libertyville earlier in the season. Their other two losses came in a 12-point loss to Benet and a five-point loss to Libertyville. Putting together a complete game had eluded Lake Zurich this season.

Even against Batavia, the Bears still had moments where an errant pass or missed closeout hurt them. It’s not easy playing against Batavia’s run-and-jump press. The Bulldogs' defense forces players to speed up their processing time, which leads to miscommunication. The Bulldogs want to speed the game up because of how undersized they are —Batavia also thrive in a chaotic, frenetic game.

For three quarters, Batavia's plan worked. Batavia was able to keep the game close because it forced turnovers and knocked down threes. But a quick 5-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter by Lake Zurich was enough to push the Bears out in front and grab control of what had been a defensive battle.

Batavia is relentless despite its lack of size. They dive on loose balls, box out and constantly apply pressure to opposing ballhandlers. In the fourth quarter, Lake Zurich was patient and poised, waiting for the right pass to become available.

“It’s a ton of hands in your face, and you don't really know where you're going,” said Nordstrom, who finished with seven rebounds. “It takes a minute to adjust.”

But because of a difficult schedule that prepared them for Thursday's rematch, Lake Zurich can handle the adversity better than it could a year ago. The Bears have seasoned players, such as senior guards Avery Cooper and Molly Friesen.

Instead of acquiescing to the pace Batavia wanted to play, Lake Zurich controlled the tempo in the second half, a sign of its growth. Because the Bears controlled the pace, it allowed them to utilize its size advantage. The Bears outrebounded Batavia 27-14.

“We talked at shootaround about trying to get out to get those easy baskets,” coach Chris Bennett said. “We've played a lot of games where we just haven't gotten over that hump and got a big win, and sometimes you have to steal a couple baskets.”

Cooper, a Creighton commit, has one of the best jumpers in the state. But her offensive prowess wasn’t on display against Batavia. The Bulldogs constantly had a hand in her face and held her to four points, but she finished with eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

“I wasn't doing a great job of scoring, so I tried getting my teammates open, going for rebounds, and affecting the game however I could,” Cooper said.

Thursday’s win took complete buy-in from each player on the court. It took each player being able to withstand pressure and push through it, which Lake Zurich was unable to do last year. The win, of course, wasn’t perfect. The Bears still turned it over 13 times but showed maturity in not letting mistakes compound.

“They definitely got us on some possessions, their defense was difficult to break,” Cooper said. “But we powered through. We found ways.”