Boys Basketball: Bolingbrook Thwarts Lockport Comeback

The Hot Read: The Bolingbrook Raiders rode the coattails of senior LaTree Russell to a 53-52 victory against the Lockport Porters Friday. Russell led all scorers with a game-high 28 points and added eight rebounds for good measure. Bolingbrook's sluggish start was evident as the team fell behind 12-5 at one point in the first quarter before going on a 10-0 run during the second quarter to capture its first lead. The Raiders had a seven point advantage in the fourth quarter trimmed to one in the game's closing moments, but senior Daniel Fisher, who had missed four consecutive free throws that could have iced the contest, poked the ball away from Lockport's Anthony Livingston as time expired.

Patch's MVP: LaTree Russell scored 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds and shot 8-for-11 from the free-throw line on a night where the Raiders nailed six-straight shots from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.

Key Stats: Russell and junior Nick Malonga combined to score 44 points, which accounted for 83 percent of the Raiders' scoring output. Bolingbrook was held without a 3-point basket as the team missed all of its six attempts. Lockport shot 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Bolingbrook Leaders: Russell (28 points, 8 rebounds), Malonga (16 points, 5 rebounds), Fisher (3 steals).

Lockport Leaders: Anthony Livingston (21 points, 8-of-9 free throws), Brett Milewski (10 points).

Quotable: "We practice hard and I feel we need to get paid for it with these Ws." -Bolingbrook's LaTree Russell

Team Records: Bolingbrook (7-15)

What's Next: Friday at Homewood-Flossmoor.