After three consecutive losses, Lane Tech boys basketball entered the city playoffs longing for a win – to advance into the second round and to gain some momentum heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 15th-seeded Lane (9-12) used a strong defensive performance to get that important win, rolling past the 18th-seeded Dyett Eagles 52-42 (17-7) in the first round of the Chicago Public League (CPL) playoffs.

For the first two minutes of game time, Dyett held a small lead. Lane junior Parker Williams quickly diminished that with back to back three pointers, bringing the score to 6-5 in the early minutes of the game.

Lane added another six points, capping off the first quarter with a score of 12-8.

Throughout the first quarter and heading into the second quarter, Lane showed a strong defense, translating into a successful transitional offense.

“That’s honestly all we were doing, just pushing the pace,” sophomore Brayden Rosenkrantz said. “We knew that if we pushed the pace, we could run these guys out of the gym. They just wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Lane also had height to their advantage in this game, being that the tallest player on the court at almost all times was Dalton Scantlebury, Lane’s 6’6” sophomore. 

“I’m closer to the basket … so that made it a lot easier to score, and it helps on defense, just I’m able to get higher and block more shots,” Scantlebury said postgame. 

Scantlebury closed out the first half with five rebounds, contributing a total of 10 points, and putting the score at 25-15.

Lane started out hot in the third quarter, continuing to move the ball and push for fast breaks. 

“I think we’ve seen a lot of teams in the Public League that want to trap us and try to turn us over,” Lane Head Coach Nicholas LoGalbo. “And the games that we’ve handled pressure well, we’ve turned into big wins, and the games where we just missed a ride to sink we allowed teams to stick around or beat us so it’s been a big priority. I thought we handled it pretty well tonight for the most part.”

Lane was able to put on a full 32 minute performance, not letting the Eagles take back the lead after the first couple of minutes. 

“Right now, the name of the game is just consistency. We’ve shown it in different flashes, but we just have to put it all together and do it all at once,” sophomore Drew Bartolai said after the win.

The third quarter closed out with a score of 38-22, and moving into the fourth quarter Lane kept their eyes out for as many shot opportunities as possible. Focusing on taking three-pointers, Lane was able to give their starters rest on the bench for most of the fourth.. 

Lane scored another 14 points, winning the game in a score of 52-42, to move onto the second round for the second straight year. Scantlebury led all scorers with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.Lane will now face second-seeded Kenwood in the second round of the CPL playoffs.

The teams face-off Friday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. at Kenwood Academy, with the winner set to move on to the Elite 8 of the CPL playoffs. 

“We know it’s going to be a big game, we know what we have to bring and we’re gonna bring it,” said Bartolai. “And it’s at their house, so it’s gonna be that kind of environment and we just got to be ready for it, we got to handle the pressure.”