Stagg Boys Basketball Paving a New Trail With Old Methods

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the Stagg boys basketball team made old-fashioned basketball look new and hip in a 52-44 victory over Lincoln-Way North on Friday night in Palos Hills.

Stagg scored layups off backdoor cuts twice in a row during an 11-0 blitzkrieg. The Chargers snapped a 41-41 deadlock and pulled away from Lincoln-Way North, exploiting holes in the Phoenix’s over-aggressive defense to turn the trick.

Max Strus, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, took a feed from Mike Scatena to start the scoring run for Stagg. Then, Ryan Dahleen hooked up with Brett Kaiser on another backdoor cut that produced another layup.

“When you look at our league, a lot of teams are built around defensive pressure,” Stagg coach John Daniels said. “So, offensively, we look to get as high and wide as possible and set that cut up. Then, if they take the cut away, you can make the pass and reverse it and run your set.

“We really try to work on that. A lot of people call it the ‘Princeton’ cut. But it really it isn’t—it’s just a backdoor. The kids executed well.”

Strus’ big opportunity to put in the go-ahead basketball came as a result of Lincoln-Way North’s defense on Kaiser. Strus held up even as North’s 6-3 Daryle Morgan rotated over and leaped in a bid to block the shot that put the Chargers up 43-41 with 3:06 remaining.

“That’s the thing—I was telling my kids, too—if you’re going to go ‘Doberman’ defense, and that means no help, there is no reason in the world for you to get beat backdoor,” Lincoln-Way North coach John Terry said. “You’re just guarding that one man. You don’t even care where the ball’s at. You’re just in that guy’s face like a Doberman. You should not get beat backdoor. And we did. That cost us a couple of times.”

Stagg (10-8, 3-3) has been making a living of late with its motion offense and pinpoint passing game. What the Chargers lack in superstar material, they make up for with chemistry and grit and the ability to knock down jumpers.

“We move the ball and have good passing,” Sean Dwyer said. “That’s the only way we’re going to win. We don’t have any star players. We’re just going to have to pass and dish off and have open guys hit open shots.”

Dwyer, a 6-6 junior forward, did just that. He knocked down two 3-pointers in the first half and went on to score 13 points. He was one of three players to reach double figures. Kamil Barnas also scored 13 points. Kaiser finished with 10 points and nearly as many assists.

“It’s just practice—working hard in practice,” Barnas said. “(Coach Daniels) wants me to finish hard every time.”

Say this about Barnas: He is buying into Stagg's old-school philosophy, too.