Boys Basketball

January 05, 2007

Indians See Improvement

Pioneer Press Article

Indians see improvement

January 3, 2007

By ROBERT SCHROEDER Contributor

The pieces of the puzzle are finally starting to come together for Lane Tech.

The Indians split a pair of games in the Luther North Tournament to run their record to 5-6, but Lane Tech head coach Leroy Jarka is more than satisfied with the progress his team has made.

"We have been playing good teams and we have been battling each team, so I am very, very pleased," Jarka said.

The Indians opened tournament play with a 65-57 win over Ridgewood, Wednesday, Dec. 27. Shelton Jackson led the way with 21 points.

Stagg got the best of Lane Tech the following evening 45-32, but Jarka says it was mostly a case of shots not falling for the Indians.

"We had some good looks offensively, but we just couldn't put the ball in the basket," Jarka said.

The play of Rudolfo Fransual and Steve Guevara on defense has been crucial for Lane Tech lately. Combined with the senior leadership that Jackson and John Holzman have provided, Jarka says his squad is ready for conference play.

"We're getting to the point where us working hard is a given," Jarka said. "Now we just need to fine tune our offense so we can score some points."

Lane's defense has shown improvement this season. They held Stagg to a close game in their only loss during hte Luther North Holiday Tournament. Pictured above is point guard John Holzman (left) and center Lalo Bellamy.  (www.LaneTechFan.com photo)