Lemont was going to have an experienced and talented team this season.
Then the best junior in the state joined the team.
Lanky guard Gabe Sularski has fit right in, leading Lemont to the South Suburban Blue title and getting it started on the right foot in the Class 3A playoffs Wednesday night.
Driving to the basket over and over against a smaller Thornton team, Sularski powered his way to 28 points as Lemont rolled to a 70-40 win in a regional semifinal.
Senior guard Matas Gaidukevicius added 17 points, five rebounds and two steals for Lemont (24-7), while sophomore guard Zane Schneider had 10 points off the bench. Sularski is 6-6, Gaidukevicius is 6-5 and Schneider is 6-3, giving Lemont a significant size advantage over Thornton (9-21).
And Sularski, the state’s No. 1 player in the class of 2026, has a big edge in skills, as well.
Sometimes it all doesn’t come together when a high-profile player comes aboard, but that’s not the case here.
“It’s been a great fit into this team,” Sularski said. “A lot of returning guys from last year, a heavy, senior-loaded team.”
“It was weird when he first got here because we didn’t have the whole year to play with him obviously,” Gaidukevicius said. “But over the summer, we built some chemistry. And over the course of the season, we’ve started playing really well together as a team.”
Lemont coach Rick Runaas appreciates Sularski’s willingness to adapt his game to whatever defense opponents throw his way.
“Tonight, he saw the matchup, right?” Runaas said. “That’s what he’s been doing lately, [thinking], ‘What does the matchup present?’
“Tonight [it was], ‘You’re going to try to be quick and try to guard me. I’ll just take you down low.’
“We’ve also put in some stuff that has allowed him to give it up and then get it back at the post.”
Sularski’s drives usually end with layups or trips to the free-throw line, where he was 9-for-10 on Wednesday.
Sularski is certainly capable of stepping out to hit a three-pointer. But he didn’t need to in this game and was just 1-for-1 from long range.
“[Thornton] didn’t make an adjustment,” Sularski said. “We saw their [lack of] size on film, and we talked about that. Just attack, attack, attack, attack.
“We’re a really good shooting three-point team, [but] Coach doesn’t want to settle.”
That message has sunk in.
“I think I’ve gotten better and better each year at finishing at the rim, getting to the free-throw line,” Sularski said.
Sularski and Lemont are focused on making a run in Class 3A. But Sularski also is in the spotlight as a four-star prospect with five Big Ten offers, including Illinois and Michigan State, as well as one from the SEC (Missouri).
“It’s my second year where I’ve been into that recruiting thing,” he said. “So I’ve kind of had the flow of how to approach everything. Every place I go, I’ve got the target on my back, so I’m just playing my game and kind of ignoring that.
“I train every day, I work out and I know [what] my skill is. I trust my teammates, I trust my coach and that’s the biggest thing.”
Senior Jordan Maple led Thornton with 16 points.