The work sophomore wing Grant Smith and his Lyons teammates over the summer is paying off now.
Smith played with the Lions varsity in the Maine South Summer League and familiarized himself with what it takes to play at that level and bond with his team.
Smith’s confidence in himself and his team grew after a big win against the host school.
“We were absolutely dominating,” Smith said. “Everyone was getting buckets and we ended up winning by 30 and we later beat them again in the first game of the season. It was just really cool to do.”
Now, Smith and the Lions have another big win under their belt after beating Hinsdale Central 39-33 at home on Dec. 12. Lyons (6-1, 2-0 West Suburban Silver) wound up with a split for the weekend after losing 71-61 to Neuqua Valley on Dec. 13.
Smith was Lyons’ leading scorer in four of its first five games, and the Hinsdale Central win continued the pattern.
Smith was the only Lion in double figures, finishing with a game-high 17 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and had a late-game block to seal the win. He was averaging 20.2 points and 6.5 rebounds through the first six games.
“He’s 6-5, 6-6, wing player with skill, which at his age is not common,” Lyons coach Tom Sloan said. “He’s got a really good all-around game and he’s a really good athlete. And he’s just a sophomore right now.”
In the second quarter against the Red Devils, Smith worked his way into the lane before lifting off the ground to dunk the ball, sending the fans into an uproar.
“I had a wide-open look and took it. It felt good,” Smith said. “I couldn’t hear much at the moment and it was not until I went back up the floor that I heard the fans.”
Senior guard Owen Carroll had five points, five rebounds and an assist against Hinsdale Central. Carroll and junior Timmy Sloan are the only returning Lyons players with prior varsity experience.
Timmy Sloan had five points, five rebounds and three assists in the win, which came before a big home crowd.
“It was new,” Smith said of playing in a packed gym against one of the Lions’ bigger rivals.
“Early on we had some jitters or were a bit anxious,” Tom Sloan said. “But as the game wore on, they settled in. Hinsdale did a really nice job of slowing the game down and making it a low-possession game.
“Fortunately our guys played through it, got a bit of a cushion and did enough to hang on.”
While happy with the rivalry win, Tom Sloan, like his players, isn’t complacent.
“There’s a lot of room to improve and that was the message in the locker room,” Sloan said. “But I am really proud that they found a way to win that game against their biggest rival in that atmosphere.”