Boys basketball: Wideman, Lake Central cruise past Chesterton

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Updated: February 29, 2012 8:07AM

CHESTERTON — It took only seconds on Friday night for Tyler Wideman to display his prowess in the post.

Facing Duneland Conference rival Chesterton, the Lake Central sophomore went down the lane and tipped the ball twice before scoring the first points of the game. And seemingly as fast as that bucket fell, the Indians pulled away in a 70-48 rout.

In the first game of the evening, the Lake Central girls also pulled out a victory over Chesterton in a much tighter 45-39 contest.

With an obvious height advantage, punctuated by Wideman’s 6-foot-7 build, LC took control by taking it inside.

“They played me on my back most of the game,” Wideman said of the Chesterton defense.

In the first half, Lake Central’s 41 percent from the field led to a pedestrian 30-21 lead. The second half saw the Indians shoot 68 percent and by the end of the third the Indians led 55-31.

Wideman led a balanced effort with 15 points, but not far behind was standout Glenn Robinson’s 14. Four scored in double digits for Lake Central. Donnie Johnson led Chesterton will 11 points.

“It’s nice to see the ball go inside and out,” Indians coach Dave Milausnic said. “Our kids got rewarded for it.”

Much like Wideman’s post tactics, driving inside also worked for the girls’ Nikki Adams. Adams led all scorers with 18 points to defeat Chesterton on its senior night. Lake Central took control in the second quarter, but its slim 25-20 halftime lead was telling about a close contest.

“I was just trying to go up strong anytime, no matter what I do,” Adams said. “Just take it to the hole.”