Stagg’s Lebarion Gilmore goes by the nickname “Happy” on social media.
It doesn’t have anything to do with Adam Sandler or the movie “Happy Gilmore.”
“I always stay positive,” he said. “That’s what gets you somewhere in life.”
Gilmore, a three-sport athlete, already has several reasons to be happy this week.
The senior guard scored 13 points for the host Chargers in Tuesday’s 59-44 SouthWest Suburban Red win over Andrew in Palos Hills. Earlier, he committed to Minnesota State for football.
Connor Williams contributed 12 points for Stagg (17-10, 4-2) and David Ortiz had 10.
Grantas Sakenis, in his second game back from an injury suffered in late December, led Andrew (15-11, 4-3) with 21 points. Athan Berchos added 11.
With the football signing out of the way, Gilmore can concentrate on basketball, and then in the spring, track. That said, he had a productive couple of days to start the week.
“I went up to visit Minnesota State and got business done,” Gilmore said. “That’s where I want to move on with my life and go to college.
“But I also had a main goal, and that was to come back home and win this game against Andrew.”
This one was more than just a rivalry game between District 230 schools. On Dec. 12, Stagg had a 20-point lead in the second quarter and lost to 67-65 to the Thunderbolts in Tinley Park.
Erasing the memories from that game was huge, especially after the Chargers led 17-7 early in the second quarter Tuesday night.
“We felt like we had to get the job done,” Gilmore said. “We knew that we couldn’t let that happen again, and we weren’t going to let it happen.
“We let it go. We knew that it was in the past, we knew we made mistakes the first game and we knew how to adjust to it. We knew they were going to bring pressure, and we adapted to it.”
And now that his college decision is done, Gilmore’s group has noticed he’s playing a little freer.
“You can see he played with more energy,” Williams said of Gilmore. “He’s an energy guy, and he plays great defense and can attack the basket.”
“The one word I use do describe him is ‘competitor,’” Stagg coach Marty Strus added. “I think he got everyone else going. He’s an absolute magnet for a team. When his energy is on, we all go, and he was on, for sure.”
The win gives the Chargers the upper hand for the conference championship as the rest of the teams have three or more losses. Stagg hosts Lincoln-Way West on Friday and visit Bradley-Bourbonnais on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to jinx anything, but we’re playing with confidence and we’re looking to try to win the conference,” Williams said. “We’re hosting a regional and we would like to win that.
“We also want to win 20 games, so we need to win the rest of our games.”
Gilmore’s new football team is also used to winning. The NCAA Division II school finished 9-3 last season, and Gilmore first thought they were looking at him as an athlete.
“They are looking at me as a quarterback,” said Gilmore, who was also listed as a wide receiver and cornerback. “I worked out for them and they told me that they like me at quarterback.
“The coaches welcomed me and my family and they offered a lot, so I feel very blessed.”
He’s looking to get into sports management as a major.
“I want to do something where I can help my family live a better life,” Gilmore said. “Wherever that takes me, that’s where I want to go.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.