L-W East halts Kenwood

FRANKFORT -- In a game of big runs, Lincoln-Way East High School had the biggest of all on Monday.

A 13-0 run in the second quarter propelled the Griffins to a 60-57 win over Kenwood Academy in the first-round of the Lincoln-Way East Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Griffins (1-0) were trailing 21-18 to begin the second quarter. But the 13-0 spurt helped East to a 37-31 halftime lead.

During that 13-0 stretch, Jon Bartlett scored 8 of his 15 points. Senior guard Cam Hill added 6 second-quarter points.

The 6-foot-2 Hill, who shot 9-of-17 (8-of-12 from 3-point range), finished with a game-high 29 points. Those 8 treys established a Lincoln-Way East school record.

"Cam did a nice job all night long," East coach Rich Kolimas said. "He's a senior and knows what we expect from him.

"This was a good start for us. We had some lapses, but overall I thought we played a great first game against a good opponent."

The Griffins, who trailed only once (51-50) in the fourth quarter, once again rode the hot shooting of Hill down the stretch.

Hill made 2 of his 8 3-pointers in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.

East also received a huge second half from 6-7 senior center Matt Marquez, who tallied 8 of his 10 points in the second half.

The 6-8 Bartlett, a senior, led all rebounders with 11 boards. He made all 3 of his shots from beyond the arc.

"It was nice to get that kind of production from our two big guys," Kolimas said. "Matt did a good job of scoring inside and we need to do a better job of looking for him on the low blocks.

"And Bartlett, for being 6-8, can really shoot it."

East shot 43.5 percent (20-of-46). From 3-point range, however, the Griffins shot 63.2 percent (12-of-19).

"Last year, the 3-point shot was not a big weapon for us," Kolimas said. "But Cam and John both are great shooters and will keep defenses honest. We will rely on them to make those shots on a consistent basis."

Hill talked about his shooting.

"The shot was falling and my teammates did a good job of getting me the ball in good-shooting situations," Hill said. "We're happy to begin with a victory like this."

The Griffins received a solid floor game from senior point guard Josh Pertler, who was injured with a serious knee injury last season.

East plays at 7:30 tonight against Brother Rice, a 74-45 loser to Thornwood.