Ryan Kutsor, by his own admission, had never been that hot.
A four-game stretch at the Pekin Holiday Tournament in which the junior scored 22.5 points per game and went 19-for-31 from the 3-point line — “That’s probably the best I’ve ever shot in my life,” he said — was a breakout performance for the Bears. Kutsor buoyed Lake Zurich, which lost its first-round matchup against Normal West but won its next three to take the consolation title.
While a team that played in Pekin’s championship game the past two seasons was moderately disappointed with not advancing in the winner’s bracket, the 6-foot-4 guard’s offensive onslaught is exactly what the defensive-minded Bears needed as they hit the midway point of the season.
“I personally haven’t seen a shooting performance that good over a stretch of four games,” Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. “Even the first game against Normal West, he hit five 3s in the last four minutes of the game. And some of them were real deep, one was pushing near halfcourt.
“The thing about him is that’s not the only part of his game. He can drive, he can pull up, he can post, he gets offensive rebounds. His shooting is a good thing for him and a good thing for us, because teams are going to get out and guard him tighter, which opens up lanes for him and our other guys to drive.”
Lake Zurich (9-3, 2-2 North Suburban Conference) won 47 games the past two seasons and advanced to the Class 4A sectional finals last year. To reach those lofty heights again, this group will need all the scoring it can get from the likes of Michael Bens, Peter DiCerbo and Kutsor. They got just enough in a 42-35 victory against conference rival Lake Forest on Thursday.
Pitcher knew Kutsor had this sort of scoring upside, which showed up last season when the then-sophomore scored 20 points against Warren. Aside from the physical growth that often comes midway through high school, Kutsor also developed his skills at guard, Pitcher said. Kutsor has added elevation to his jump shot and is an improved ballhandler on the perimeter.
“My confidence right now is pretty high,” Kutsor said. “I’ve been in the gym a lot recently, getting my shots off, working on taking 3s off the dribble. I was able to make a few of them, create space and hit a few open ones.
“Early in the games, I’d hit a (3-pointer) or two that weren’t very deep or contested, then I’d get hot and once I felt it, I’d take those deeper shots. It got to the point where I wasn’t even thinking, I’d just take a few dribbles and shoot.”
Every one of those points will likely be necessary for the Bears, who tend to play to the level of their competition. Through their first 12 games, Pitcher said they’ve finished six games decided by one possession and have won five. The coach’s concern is making sure the Bears don’t give their opponents a chance to win a few close games of their own.
In order to keep grinding out wins, the Bears will count on their veterans, including a handful of scorers and a defense that has allowed an average of 42 points per game in the last six contests.
Pitcher said he hopes to finish over .500 in conference, win at least 20 games and the regional, then be a top-4 seed in the sectional.
“For my own sanity, my heart, no, I don’t really like all of those,” Pitcher said with a laugh in reference to a slew of close games. “We haven’t played as well as I’d expected or hoped to play, honestly, but the record has shaken itself out to be good so far.
“There are just a lot of instances where we need to extend leads or pull away, but we haven’t been able to do that enough. We’re going to need to.”
Rich Mayor is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
