Three-Pointers Help Foresters Win 1st Annual Midwest Classic
Fred Bell is named Tourney MVP
  

Fred Bell was named the Midwest Classic Tourney MVP.

Lake Forest was led in scoring by last year's most accurate three-point shooter in the nation (Division III), Bryan Bertola (Green Bay, WI/Bay Port). Against Webster, the senior guard drained four of five three-point attempts and scored a game-high 14 points. Bertola, who also led the team with five rebounds, has connected on 53.8% (14 of 26) of his long-range attempts so far this season after connecting 52.8% of the time in 2000-01.

Junior guard Fred Bell (Mequon, WI/Homestead) scored a dozen points in the game, but was even more of a factor on defense, where he hounded the Webster point guards and helped the Foresters hold their second straight opponent to less than 40% from the field.

Freshman forward Eric McDonald (Elk Grove, IL/Elk Grove) gave the host team a boost with a steal and an emphatic dunk midway through the second half as well as 11 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.

Webster led by as many as five points (7-2) early in the game before Lake Forest rattled off eight straight. A 6-0 run by the Gorloks was followed by an identical one by the Foresters to make it 16-13. After ties as 16 and 18, Lake Forest started to pull away and found themselves ahead 32-26 with five minutes to go in the half. Webster connected on a pair of three-pointers while holding the Foresters scoreless until, with 15 seconds left, McDonald converted a traditional three-point play to give the home team a 35-32 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

Lake Forest led 39-35 with 16:36 to play in the game when the visitors used a 9-0 run to take a five-point lead (44-39). With a chance to extend that lead, an ill-advised pass was picked off by McDonald who, without breaking stride, took the ball straight to the basket and dunked it with a defender on both his left and right. After trading hoops for the next minute, the Foresters went on a 15-5 run that gave them the lead for good. Webster cut that lead to one (60-59) with four minutes to play but three-point baskets by junior guard Lee Taylor (Sheldon, IA/Sheldon) and Bertola over the next two minutes gave Lake Forest the cushion it needed.

The Foresters shot 51.2% from the field while hitting 12 of 25 shots (48.0%) from three-point range. It was easily the best shooting performance so far this season for the home team while Webster, at 39.6%, became the second team in the tournament to shoot less than 40% from the field against Lake Forest.

Bell was voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament while Taylor and Bertola were named to the All-Tournament Team. Joining them was Brian Jones of Webster as well as David Roasa and Mick Savatovic of Concordia.

Lake Forest will play at Concordia University (IL) on Thursday (November 29th) at 7:30 pm and will play at M.S.O.E. on Saturday (December 1st) at 3:00 pm. The game against M.S.O.E. will be played at U.S. Cellular Arena, the former home of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Lake Forest vs. Webster Box Score
Concordia vs. Eureka Box Score