>Ryan Crane Leads Lemont to Victory Over Reavis

Ryan Crane waited his turn at Lemont.

He spent most of last season on the bench, but made sure his game continued to grow in practice. Now, the senior forward is finally getting an opportunity to play and he’s making the most of it.

“I had to be patient,” Crane said. “Last year, I didn’t get a whole lot of minutes. This year, I’ve really gotten my chance and I’ve been happy with how it’s been going.”

Crane’s breakthrough season continued Thursday night. He tied a career high by scoring 23 points to lead host Lemont to a 67-49 win over Reavis in a South Suburban Conference crossover.

Crane also pulled down six rebounds, while Zane Schneider finished with 11 points for Lemont (12-6, 6-0 SSC Blue). Julian Overton and Luke Glotzbach added 10 points apiece, while Sean Murray contributed five points and five rebounds.

Nikko Roberts led Reavis (4-11, 1-5 SSC Red) with 16 points. Arafat Alsharif scored 10 points, Damarion Dixon chalked up eight points and Kacper Szymula had six points and 10 rebounds.

Crane, meanwhile, knew he needed to step up on what was essentially a brand-new team for Lemont, with nobody returning with much varsity experience.

“I was definitely both excited and nervous,” Crane said. “I knew it’d be a big role for me and I was going to have to pick it up and be a scoring option this year.

“It’s exciting for me, but it’s also a big responsibility and there’s a lot that goes along with it.”

Crane has also been depended on to be versatile. His strength in the past has been outside shooting, but at 6-foot-5, he’s the tallest player on an undersized team.

So, he’s been asked to battle inside and defend bigger opponents.

“It’s difficult but I’ve learned a lot from guarding bigger guys,” Crane said. “I know I have to do it the rest of the year. It’s been a learning experience but I’ve gotten pretty good at it.

“It’s just doing what I’ve been coached to do, making sure I can stay in front of those big guys.”

Crane showed off his well-rounded game Thursday night. He buried three 3-pointers, attacked the basket on drives and showed off nice post-up moves while piling up 14 points in the first half.

Lemont coach Rick Runaas is certainly pleased with how far Crane has come.

“He’s done a lot of different things and a lot of it he’s taken on himself,” Runaas said. “We asked him if it’d be possible to expand his game and he’s kind of taken it upon himself to do so.

“I’m just proud of him because he’s such a great kid.”

Reavis was within 46-36 before Crane scored the final eight points of the third quarter to put Lemont firmly in command.

It was the fourth straight win for Lemont, and Murray believes the team is finding itself.

“Against Oak Lawn and Hinsdale Central, we were down double digits and came back to win both games,” Murray said. “So, that was awesome. We’re playing well now.”

And Crane is leading the way.

“Last year, they had a lot of shooters on the team,” Glotzbach said. “This year, Ryan’s stepped up as the main shooter on the team. That opens things up for other guys and just gives us opportunities to win these games.”

Crane competed in baseball and track and field earlier in his high school career but gave up both to focus on basketball.

“I’ve always loved playing basketball,” he said. “I decided that I wanted to do it year-round.

“I just want to have the ball in my hands at all times.”