La Lumiere facing tournament bid challenge

BY STAN MADDUX

The boys’ basketball team from La Lumiere School appears to have an uphill battle this season for another chance at a national title.

Head coach Pat Holmes said his team (12-6) is on the “outside looking in” right now for the Geico Nationals, which features just eight teams in the three-day tournament beginning March 30.

The Lakers had four losses last season before being knocked out in the first round of the tournament in Ft. Meyers, Florida.

Despite six losses, Holmes said most of the defeats were decided by five points or less against teams in what could be viewed as the toughest conference in the nation.

Now in its second season, the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference has teams from states like Florida, New York and Arizona.

Several of the teams in the NIBC are considered a lock for invitations to the tourney.

Currently, the Lakers are ranked No. 9 in the nation.

Holmes said his team cannot lose two of the dozen or so games left in the regular season and expect to receive an invitation.

“We got to continue to win,” he said. Holmes said the team, which lost eight core players from last season, is beginning to show signs of peaking, though.

He said this year’s brand-new starting line-up and key players off the bench following a learning curve are playing better as a unit now.

“We got to be playing good team basketball to give ourselves the best chance to win,” he said. Holmes said the team has also been hurt at times from sickness or injury.

“We’re close. We can compete with anybody, but we got to bring it every single day. Every possession matters,” he said.

The Lakers’ roster includes players such as Kaleb Glenn, a 6’7” forward heading to the University of Louisville next year and 6’9” center Gus Yalden, who’s going on to play at the University of

Wisconsin.

Zaide Lowery, a 6’4” senior guard, is committed to the University of Marquette, while 5’ 8” guard Trenton Walters has signed on with Radford University.

La Lumiere won the national champion in 2017 and were runners-up in 2019.

The boys’ basketball team at La Lumiere School with five slam dunks cruised to victory at home Saturday, Jan. 28.

The Lakers defeated St. Francis, a college preparatory school from Wheaton, Illinois, 80-36.

Glenn put the Lakers ahead 14-5 with a slam dunk midway through the first quarter.

La Lumiere began putting the game out of reach in the second quarter when sophomore Danny Murray sank a three-point shot from the baseline followed by three-point buckets from beyond the top of the key by junior Isaiah Henderson and senior Trenton Walters.

The Lakers led 46-24 when Lowery sank a 40 foot shot at the halftime buzzer. Glenn, after grabbing a pass, started the third quarter with his second slam dunk of the game and then later dished the ball to Yalden, who went up for a slam dunk.

A short time later, Glenn raced down the court for another slam dunk to increase the lead to 30 points.

In the fourth quarter, there was no let up from the Lakers in their offensive fireworks capped by Lowery when he dribbled in for thunderous slam dunk to make the score 72-33 with just three minutes left on the game clock.

Holmes said he was pleased with his team’s performance against a squad featuring several solid players.

“I thought our guys did a pretty good job playing selfless and trying to make a play for their teammates, which has been the point of emphasis all year,” he said.

The defense held the Spartans to just 12 second half points.