Robinson's monster night gives L.C. its first DAC boys hoops title

ST. JOHN | The gym shoes squeaked as the players ran back and forth, but by this point in the game the drama was over.

In the stands of the Lake Central bleachers, two hands held up a sign that said it all — and it was a long time in the making.

"DAC Champions."

Times No. 4 Lake Central battled a tough Valparaiso team, that gave the Indians all they could handle in the first half. In the end it was too much size, talent and athleticism. Lake Central (15-2, 10-1) pulled away for a 58-44 victory, which clinched L.C.'s first Duneland Athletic Conference title in boys basketball.

"Coming out at halftime we knew we had to pick it up," said Lake Central senior Glenn Robinson III, who had a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds in the win. "We got a couple of put-backs, a couple of and-1s, we got a dunk which got the crowd going and we put our petal to the medal."

The Vikings (12-5, 8-3) hung around within a couple possessions from L.C. when Robinson stole a pass and took it in for a score. Lake Central outscored Valpo 16-2 over the last five minutes of the third quarter to blow the game open.

"He can do that," Valpo coach Joe Otis said of Robinson's extreme ability to take over games. "We were over-matched. They're good, really good. Our guys didn't quit. We had exactly what we wanted in the first half."

Valparaiso (12-5, 8-3) led 21-20 at halftime. It was 16 minutes of high-flying Indians showmanship against the Vikings' more patient half-court sets. The Indians had three dunks in the first quarter and five blocked shots.

John Mosser's tip-in at the horn gave Valpo the lead at the break. Mosser had 10 points and seven rebounds at halftime.

There were three technical fouls in the first half.

Drew Boetel led Valpo with 17 points and Mosser added 14.

"It feels fantastic," L.C. coach Dave Milausnic said of winning the DAC crown. "It really does. To get this for our school, the first one, it means a lot. It was good that our kids were playing for something this late in the year.

"Hopefully, they got a taste of what we hope for in sectionals."

Tyler Wideman scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for L.C. Tye Wilburn chipped in 11 in the win.