Schools
Harris Returns To Propel Lake Forest Academy To Victory
Caxys have busy home schedule this week with 3 games.
Keep Charles Harris away from the basketball court for any length of time and look what happens.
The Lake Forest Academy junior, who missed two weeks due to illness, exploded for 28 points and six blocked shots to propel an 85-74 victory over Providence St. Mel last Saturday.
The Caxys still managed a 2-1 record last week to improve to 13-4 overall. They will need Harris this week with three home games on tap in the next four days starting with tonight’s contest against Highland Park. Chicago Hope Academy visits on Thursday followed by Prairie Ridge on Friday.
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“I just really missed the game,’ Harris said. “ I had a lot of energy built up from sitting out so I was ready to go.”
LFA coach Matt Vaughn said Harris’ true potential is just starting to bud.
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“We keep telling him (Charles) to be aggressive and reach your potential and he’s starting to do it,” Vaughn said. “He’s the guy that’s been with me the longest, even though he’s only a junior, he’s been with me three years so he knows what I expect from him.”
The Caxys jumped on Providence St. Mel early, leading 12-0 to start and 24-10 by the end of the first quarter thanks to Jared Dimakos’ 10 first-quarter points.
“I was pleased by Jared’s performance and his early threes helped set the tone for us,” Vaughn said.
Dimakos finished with 24 points, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
“Before the game, I spoke with the coaches, and they said to come out hard and set the tone for us,” Dimakos said. “I was just shooting the ball really well and following my shot, which helped, because I was able to get a few offensive rebounds.”
Dimakos could be the missing piece to compliment an otherwise strong starting contingent.
“If he (Dimakos) plays well, our team is going to play well. Simple as that,” said Vaughn. “We expect Dylan (Ennis), Charles, and Faith (Ekakitie) to play well at this point, so we’ve been looking for that fourth guy and when Jared plays well, we’re a good pretty good team.”
The Caxys maintained the double-digit lead until the fourth quarter when Providence St. Mel would cut the deficit to seven with 2:57 left to play. However, a block by Harris and a fast break lay-up by Dimakos put LFA back in control.
Joining Harris and Dimakos in double-digit scoring for the Caxys were Dylan Ennis and Faith Ekakitie, scoring 18 and 15 points, respectively.
