Lancers outlast Moraine Valley for their biggest win of the season

Tuesday, the Lancers pulled off a dramatic upset against conference and regional first-seed the Moraine Valley Cyclones. This 82-74 victory put an end to the Cyclones’ unbelievable 21-game hot streak.

The Lancers had already punched their ticket to the regional tournament, but Tuesday’s win still carried significant weight. The upset showed the Lancers are among the top competitors heading into the postseason.

Lancers head coach Tanner Morris emphasized the magnitude of the win and its implications for the playoffs.

“We’ve won a bunch here in the second semester but we haven’t really had a statement win yet; tonight I think we can say that’s a statement win,” Morris said. “I think tonight showed them that they are that good, and we can play with anybody in this region.”

The Lancers’ scoring was led by forward Arianna Myers, who put up 23 points. Starting forwards Nevada Holm and Monica Sierzputowski controlled the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds each to complete their double-doubles. Myers, who has scored 18 or more points in her last five games, commented on her performance against the Cyclones.

Photo of Lancers basketball game — Lancers starting forward Monica Sierzputowski (right) goes up for a layup during Tuesday’s game. (Jason Fiore/ Staff Photographer)

“I found my rhythm early, then I was really hard to guard,” Myers said. “Then when they started face-guarding me, that’s when I got my teammates involved … all the credit to them, all credit to the coaches for having us be successful as a group.”

A slow start heightened the tension for Lancers fans. Costly turnovers had the team facing a 12-point deficit halfway through the first quarter. However, the scoring slump was short-lived, as a productive 25-point second quarter closed the gap to 40-38 going into halftime. By the fourth quarter, the Lancers were shooting 64 percent from the field while only allowing six shots to go in for Moraine Valley.

Morris credited the early comeback to the team’s mental fortitude and ability as individuals to fight back on the court.

Lancer head coach Tanner Morris disagrees with foul call (Jason Fiore/ Staff Photographer) (Jason Fiore/ Staff Photographer)

“I don’t know how much they believed in themselves at first,” Morris said. “I called a timeout, got them calmed down and relaxed, and told them to just play our game. Once they started doing that, they realized that they could hang. We chipped away, and we got back into the game.”

The Lancers will look to add to their eight-game win streak on Thursday as they host the Prairie State Pioneers at the College of Lake County Athletic Center on the Grayslake Campus.