Lyons cruises to season-opening win against Morton

LA GRANGE – Lyons had an inauspicious start to its season Monday night.

The Lions kicked off their season hosting Morton in the second game of the Lyons Thanksgiving Tournament, but the game had a late start due to the first game.

Then, in the first 15 seconds, the Lions opened the season with an unusual and unfortunate play.

Lyons senior forward Bobby Vespa snagged the ball near midcourt, then raced up the court to an open basket. Just when the crowd stood up to anticipate a highlight-reel dunk, Vespa lost his footing and was forced to attempt a layup.

Less than 10 seconds later, all in the first minute of play, Morton senior guard Donovan Johnson swished a 3-pointer for the first points of the game.

On the final play of the second quarter, the Lions had another strange mishap, when senior forward Ian Polonowski, who scored all of his 15 points in the first half, slowed down his dribble to shoot a halfcourt shot at the buzzer, but his shot was blocked and then he tumbled to the floor.

But, in between those two odd plays, the Lions dominated the first half and rolled to a 60-26 victory over Morton.

The Lions (1-0), who finished 12-17 last season, played strong in the final three quarters to runaway with the victory over their West Suburban Conference Gold Division member.

The 6-foot-7 Polonowski, the only returnee with significant varsity experience, showed off his shooting touch by draining 3-pointers all over the court in the first half to slow down Morton’s early momentum.

His role this season is dramatically bigger than last year.

“It was a fun game playing with all the guys I grew up with,” Polonowski said. “We had good energy and we played well tonight. It was a goods start.”

“I came off the bench mostly but started some games and had a big role on a senior heavy team last year,” Ian Polonowski said. “I came in and did the little things, but really wasn’t relied on to score and would get out there and get rebounds and play hard.”

But it’s not a big surprise to basketball fans in Chicagoland to watch a Polonowski go off draining 3-pointers.

Two years ago, Ian Polonowski watched his brother, Nik, lead the Lions to several big victories.

Nik Polonowski, now a sophomore at Penn, averaged 15 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2 assists in his senior season for the Lions, making a big impression on his younger brother.

“I was on the sophomore team back then, but it was fun to watch (Nik),” Ian Polonowski said. “He plays like how I play. I learned a lot from him on how to move and get your shot off. It was good to see. It’s been fun because I’ve been looking forward to this (time), so to be able to do this is a dream.”

Ian Polonowski showed glimpses of following in his older brother’s footsteps by becoming the go-to player for the Lions, burying two 3-pointers in a matter of a few seconds to help the Lions build a 37-22 lead at halftime.

“My brother always gives me advice here and there,” Polonowski said. “I talk to him and he will talk about his experiences and what he learned. He taught me how to be a leader. He was a good leader, so I’ve learned a lot about that.”

Lyons coach Tom Sloan said Ian Polonowski had a memorable start to his season. Vespa nailed three 3s in the second quarter to finish with 11 points.

”This was a good win and it was nice to get everyone in the game and the guys were unselfish,” Sloan said. “They played hard and had good energy. Ian played well and played within the flow of the game and got some open looks and knocked them in, and he also moved the ball and found open guys and he played hard defensively. It was a good first outing.”

In the second half, the Lions quickly put the game out of reach. Senior guard Danny Janiszewski jumped on the opportunity to hoist up some shots, scoring on back-to-back possessions to pad the lead to 46-22. Janiszewski, who had 10 points, drove the baseline and hit a floater off the backboard and came back to drill a 3-pointer with 3:17 left in the third quarter.

Morton, which finished 5-22 last season, came out with a purpose in the opening minutes of the game. Sophomore forward Chas Ontiveros dished a perfect pass to Timothy Lane for a sweet lay-in, but the Mustangs (0-1) could manage just two more points over the next seven-plus minutes to fall into an insurmountable hole.

“We started four sophomores and a senior, but I was little disappointed with the juniors because they didn’t play as good as I thought they would play,” Morton coach Tony Martinucci said. “We’re young, but we will be good.”