LYLE — The Lyle-Pacelli boys basketball team didn’t make it easy, but Southland was able to hold on and pick up a 60-54 win in Adams Saturday.

The Rebels (8-4 overall) led 54-44 with 3:01 left in the game, but LP (6-9 overall) used a quick 6-0 spurt to pull within 54-50 after Kamis Kuku scored on a put-back with 1:29 left in the game. Southland went back up 56-50 when Bret Matthews hit two free throws with 1:14 left.

“They just kept pressing us and we didn’t have an answer for that,” Southland senior Chris Webber, who had 16 points and nine rebounds, said. “We just needed to calm down and stop trying to push the ball.”

The game between LP and Southland always brings out a friendly rivalry between Southland head coach Matt Webber and LP head coach Scott Koenigs, who have been close for years.

“Scott and I are close friends and I knew they were going to bring their ‘A’ game,” Matt said. “We had an early lead and I think we relaxed. Give them credit, they outworked us and they didn’t go away.”

Chris Webber said it’s fun to play against LP because, for the most part, everybody knows everybody on both sidelines.

“It’s awesome. [Koenigs] yells at me too and he’s making fun of me, and then I have my father is my coach,” Chris Webber said. “It’s fun.”

LP was playing the game on little rest as it didn’t return from the Spring Grove game until midnight on Friday and some Pacelli players had to get up at 5 a.m. for a play before the game on Saturday.

“It was a great effort,” Koenigs said. “Everybody was pretty tired and some of these kids were going on four hours of sleep against a physical and athletic team like Southland. They did a great job and I’m so proud of the way we played today.”

Kuku had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists and Brady Lester had 23 points and six rebounds for LP.

LP 22  32  —  54

Southland 33  27  —  60

Southland scoring: Chris Webber, 16; Lee Wilson, 13; Thomas Bottema, 8; Bret Matthews, 8; Jared Landherr, 8; Carl Mueller, 4; Parker Brigham, 3; free throws: 82 percent (18-for-22); rebounds: 21 (Webber, 9); turnovers: 9

LP scoring: Brady Lester, 23; Kamis Kuku, 15; Trinity Anderson, 8; Nathan Drees, 4; Jed Nelson, 2; Joseph Maas, 2; free throws: 56 percent (10-for-18); rebounds: 27 (Lester, 6); turnovers: 14