Blessed with size, talent and depth, it’s easy to see why the Lyons Township boys basketball team rattled off 12 wins to start the season.

The Lions (13-1), who feature seven key players 6-foot-4 or taller on their roster, were finally and somewhat surprisingly cut down to size by St. Ignatius’ whirling point guard Keith Smith, who riddled the Lions for 13 points and six assists while applying continual pressure at both ends of the floor to spark his Wolfpack to a 60-44 win in the semifinal game of the Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament. The 5-foot-6 Smith won the MVP award at the tournament.

St. Ignatius (12-1), which went on to capture the title for the second time in three years, used a 10-1 run to open the third quarter in building a 37-27 lead.

Jeff Adams scored 19 for LT, however the relatively lackluster Lions never mounted a second-half rally, essentially trading baskets with the Wolfpack.

“I have to give St. Ignatius credit because I thought they played harder and more physical than us,” said LT coach Conte Stamas. “That’s something we take pride in-playing hard. There is no skill involved in playing hard. We have to play all out every single night, especially against quality opponents.”

The top-seeded Lions bounced back from their disappointing loss to take third place via a 47-44 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South.

Clinging to a 28-26 lead against the Tigers, LT went on a 7-2 run to hold a 35-28 advantage with 5:20 remaining in the game. A three-point play by the Tigers’ Sam Carlson (16 points) sliced the LT lead to 45-44, but two clutch free throws by Kevin Dunne in the closing seconds secured the victory for the Lions.

The Lions sank 20-of-22 free throws, won the rebounding battle 30-22 and committed only two turnovers against Wheaton Warrenville South. Adams led LT with 16 points and nine rebounds while Ed Viliunas added 10 points.

“We wanted to win the tournament, but it’s not too bad taking third [place],” Adams said. “During the entire tournament, we played a zone defense and it seemed like it worked pretty well for us.”

LT returns to action on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. home game against York before visiting Glenbard West and its Northwestern-bound 6-8 star John Shurna the following night at 6 p.m.

“We still have work to do,” Stamas said. “York is 2-0 and we’re 3-0, so we’re right back into it.”