The boys basketball season ended last year in a nail-biting rubber match against the Curie Condors in the Regional championship, with LT losing 55-46. While the Condors were ranked No. 1 in the state of Illinois by the “Chicago Sun-Times” before the game, the Lions put up a dogfight against one of the best teams in the state. Varsity head coach Tom Sloan said the loss was a motivator for this year’s seniors. 

“They enjoyed the atmosphere, and it motivated them to work hard in the offseason to prepare for this year,” Sloan said. “We have a great group of young men who work very hard and have strong chemistry.”

The team went 11-16 in the regular season but went 6-6 in West Suburban Silver Conference play, good enough for a fourth-place finish in one of the toughest conferences in the state, posting a solid 7-5 record in their last 12 games after winning on the road against Hinsdale Central on Jan. 18. The Lions defeated Saint Ignatius in the regional semifinal 70-62 to move onto the regional final before eventually falling to Curie at home. 

The Lions lost a lot of graduates from last year’s team, including a lot of starters, but guard Andrew Carlisle ‘25 says they feel overlooked.

“I feel like we’ve got a chip on our shoulder,” Carlisle said. “I feel like people aren’t expecting a lot out of us, but I like being the underdog.”

Carlisle said the team’s depth and versatility should surprise a lot of the teams they play, and he says the ability to stretch the floor may be the team’s biggest strength. 

“We don’t have a guy on the team that can’t shoot from long range,” Carlisle said. “I think we’ve got a lot of talent and depth coming off the bench.” 

Sloan is entering what would be considered a special season for him. Both of his sons—Timmy Sloan ‘27 and Tommy Sloan ‘26—made the varsity roster this season and hope to see varsity action, playing under their father’s tutelage. 

“Each season is different from the previous season,” Coach Sloan said. “Hopefully, these guys get acclimated to the varsity level quickly.”

The team is a bit of a wild card entering the season, without much experience at the varsity level. But with a lot of JV players making the next step to the varsity level this season and learning from the varsity players last season, a lot of players could be primed for a breakout. Sloan says the team isn’t worried about replacing; they’re reloading.

“We don’t worry about replacing the previous class,” Coach Sloan said. “We try to figure out the strengths of the current group and develop a system of play that will give them the best chance to compete.”

The season started with the annual LT Thanksgiving Invitational, with LT facing off in a round-robin style tournament against Morton, Maine South, and Lincoln Way East. Last year, the Lions went 1-2 in the tournament, with their lone win coming against Morton. 

“We’ll have a better understanding of where the team’s at later in the season,” Carlisle said. “But we feel like we can have a strong start.”

The Lions’ next game is on the road against their arch-rivals—the Hinsdale Central Red Devils—on Dec. 13 in what could be another prototypical barnburner and potentially a legendary chapter in the storied rivalry of the “County Line Classic”.