LAKE FOREST, Ill. (Nov. 21, 2007) – Lake Forest’s Hoyt Rees hit a jumper with three seconds left in overtime to give the Foresters a 72-70 win over Edgewood College in a non-conference men’s basketball game in Lake Forest, Ill. The Foresters trailed by as much as seven points in the second half, before tying the game at 61-61 with 19 seconds remaining to force overtime. Three Eagles finished the game scoring in double figures including John Fahey, who finished with a game high 19 points.
The second half saw the Eagles build a game high seven point lead on the Foresters as Charlie Averkamp hit a three with 1:43 remaining to give the Eagles a 60-53 advantage. The Foresters responded as Jeremy Beyersdorf hit a trey with 19 seconds left in regulation to knot the score up at 61 apiece. On the ensuing possession Charlie Averkamp missed a lay-up sending the game into extra time.
In overtime Lake Forest got on the board first as a Laird Walker lay-up gave the Foresters a two point advantage. The Foresters would lead by as much as four points in overtime before a Charlie Averkamp three tied the game at 70-70 with only 37 seconds left. The following possession Hoyt Rees hit a jumper that gave the Foresters a two point advantage with only two seconds left. The Foresters would hold on as the Eagles last second desperation shot fell short, giving the Foresters a dramatic 72-70 victory in front of their home crowd.
Aaron Ritschard scored 10 points and Jon Ciche dropped 12 points as they joined Fahey as the three Eagles scoring in double figures. Charlie Averkamp had a team high 10 rebounds and finished the game with nine points, after being held to only one point in the first half. The Eagles continue their struggles from the charity stripe, going only 10-for-21 from the line. Victor Campbell had 18 points on the day to lead the Foresters and Laird Walker had a game high 12 rebounds. Lake Forest dominated defensively in the first half as they forced 15 Eagle turnovers to take a 26-21 lead into the half.
The loss drops the Eagles record to 1-2 on the year while Lake Forest records their first win of the year, improving to 1-2. It is the second straight year that the Foresters have narrowly defeated the Eagles as last year they won 62-61 at the Edgedome after Brad Wehner hit a jumper with 24 seconds remaining.
The Eagles will take the weekend off, returning to action next Wednesday, November 28 as they travel to Sheboygan, Wis. for the conference opener against Lakeland College. Gametime is 7 p.m. Edgewood College’s first home game will be on Saturday, December 8 as they face NAC rival MSOE at 4:15 p.m. The MSOE game will be also be the first game of the year webcasted on www.EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
Summary by Mark Albanese, Sports Information
