Most basketball teams have to deal with the proverbial “toughest road trip” on their schedule to test their mettle. In the NBA, it’s generally acknowledged as the “Texas Triangle” with stops in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, whereas in the West Suburban (Silver) Conference it’s the dreaded double dip at Proviso West and Oak Park.

Lyons Township (7-0, 3-0 West Suburban Silver) passed the latter test with flying colors via two wins over the weekend.

After a 59-50 win against Proviso West on Friday, the Lions completed their momentous sweep the following evening with a 68-60 victory at Oak Park. Tied at 55-all with the highly-regarded Huskies (5-4, 1-2), who feature Georgia Tech-bound Iman Shumpert, the poised Lions outscored their opponent 13-5 in the final 1:37 of the game to seal the win.

“Since I’ve been in the league we have never played at Proviso West and Oak Park on the same weekend,” LT coach Conte Stamas said. “To come away with these two wins is a real testament to the mental toughness of our kids.”

The Lions seized control early against Oak Park by controlling tempo and taking advantage of their formidable inside game. Six-foot-8, 270-pound center Jeff Adams (10 points), 6-5 Eddie Viliunas (20 points, 6 rebounds) and 6-6 Matt Hirt (15 points, 9 rebounds) scored numerous baskets in the paint to propel LT to a 29-22 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the explosive 6-4 Shumpert (24 points) caught fire scoring eight points capped off by a spectacular breakaway dunk to close LT’s lead to 40-39 at the end of the quarter.

“Oak Park is so talented, but we hung in there,” Stamas said. “We bent a little bit but we didn’t break. We made some key plays right inside which is where we wanted to go with the ball.”

The Lyons extended their lead to 51-44 before Shumpert poured in eight more points, including a clutch 3-pointer, to knot the game at 55-all.

Viliunas, who did a respectable job guarding Shumpert, scored a pair of baskets to lift LT down the stretch.

“I think you saw me try to guard Shumpert,” said Viliunas after the game with a chuckle. “Both he and [Oak Park guard] Daniel Barnes are Division I players and you can see why because they don’t miss many shots. We kept our composure though, and we were able to make plays when we needed them.”

Defensively, LT held the Huskies to 38-percent shooting (20-of-52 from the field) and caused 16 turnovers.

The Lions travel to Waubonsie Valley Saturday (6 p.m.) for a non-conference game.