Late in the season, junior guard/forward Matas Gaidukevicius emerged as a reserve who could score points in a hurry for Lemont.
That’s what happens when you follow up a 27-point effort from earlier in February against Shepard with a 38-point performance in the regular-season finale against Hinsdale South.
It also means Gaidukevicius is coming into games now with confidence.
“Once coach (Rick Runaas) gives me the chance, I feel like I can do it,” Gaidukevicius said. “He knows when to put me in and when to keep me on the bench. I just stay ready.
“When my name is called, I’m ready to go out there and believe in myself.”
Gaidukevicius had one of his scoring eruptions in a big moment Wednesday night.
His quick eight-point outburst late in the third quarter helped sixth-seeded Lemont pull away for a 69-58 win over Oak Forest in a Class 3A Marian Catholic Regional semifinal in Chicago Heights.
Ryan Runaas scored 20 points for Lemont (19-11), while Gaidukevicius finished with 16 points and Klaidas Paskauskas added 15. Shea Glotzbach contributed seven points and 10 rebounds.
Lemont will play at 6 p.m. Friday for the regional title against third-seeded Marian Catholic (21-10), a 69-31 winner over Brooks.
Amari Brownlee-Davis paced 11th-seeded Oak Forest (14-17) with 18 points. Mateo Gamboa added 10 and Johnny Wiggins had eight. DeShawn Nolan tallied nine points and seven rebounds.
Lemont handled the Bengals 62-34 in the regular season, but this time around, the game was tied 34-34 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.
That’s when Gaidukevicius went to work, scoring on back-to-back drives to the basket. It sparked a 14-3 surge for Lemont to end the third, with Gaidukevicius scoring eight points.
“Matas adds a lot off the bench,” Ryan Runaas said. “He brings that scoring flare we desperately need sometimes when we’re struggling to score.
“Ever since he’s been back, there was a little adjusting, but he’s been doing well. Obviously, when he’s scoring 38 points in a game, he’s doing well.”
Gaidukevicius missed the start of the season with a broken left wrist and didn’t return until around Christmas.
“It was tough,” Gaidukevicius said. “I had to go to every practice and every game and just watch. I wanted to be on the floor, but I was still cheering for my team.”
When Gaidukevicius came back, the biggest challenge was finding his place on a team that had started to establish its identity without him.
“I feel like they all made a connection, and throwing me in might have messed it up a little bit, but now it’s all connecting,” Gaidukevicius said. “I feel like my teammates have definitely started trusting me more with the ball than when I first came back.
“Once I got used to playing with them, they got used to playing with me.”
Lemont kept its double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter as Ryan Runaas made sure he would get to play another game with the hometown team coached by his dad.
“I’m going to be honest, I played with a little more of a spark just because it could be my last game,” he said. “It’s scary, so I brought a lot of energy.”
Ryan Runaas produced 12 points in the first half as Lemont tried to put things away early. But Oak Forest hung tough until Gaidukevicius showed up as the X-factor.
“Matas was hurt until Christmas and he came along slowly in January,” Rick Runaas said. “He had a big game against Shepard and a big game against Hinsdale South.
“We’re just scratching the surface, I think, of his ability. It’s the right time of the year to score eight points in a run like that. That was great coming off the bench.”
