Hoffman Estates speaks up, silences St. Viator
Jorden Thornton and the Hoffman Estates boys basketball team were just not ready to go quietly into the night.
The 13th-seeded Hawks rallied from an early 11-point deficit, then survived a missed tip at the buzzer before stunning fourth-seeded St. Viator 52-48 in overtime Wednesday in the regional semifinals at Schaumburg.
Hoffman Estates (12-17) will be making its first appearance in a regional final in six years when it faces No. 5 seed Grayslake North on Friday.
"All the pressure was on them, and we made a big deal about it to our kids," Hoffman Estates coach Luke Yanule said. "The pressure is on everybody when they face us. We are a 13 seed."
But Hoffman may be the most dangerous 13th seed in the entire state tournament. Despite their unimpressive record, the Hawks have played well all season. They beat Fremd earlier and lost to state powers Benet in overtime and Glenbard West in the waning moments of the game.
"We play a tough schedule," Yanule said. "We have been through these games and our guys were ready when the tournament started."
Hoffman Estates was able to get through it thanks to a 3-point basket by Terry Davis with 1:23 to play that tied the game at 43. St. Viator sat on the ball for the remaining time until Jake Stepuszek heaved a 3 with just a couple second left. The ball rebounded to Miles McDonnell, whose putback hit the back and front of the rim before falling away.
In overtime, it Hoffman Estates' big men soared.
Brandon Hall hit a pair of free throws and got a basket inside as the Hawks opened up a 47-43 lead. Danny Walsh dropped a 3 to close the gap, Dante Cleveland had a layup and then later converted a free throw to send the Hawks on their way.
"It was not our night," said St. Viator coach Quin Hayes, whose team was 3-for-17 from outside the arc. "We attacked in the first half, which is where we were able to build our lead. But in the second half they took the lane away from us and our driving ability."
That second-half adjustment by Hoffman Estates was courtesy of the strong play by Hall, who sat out much of the first half with two fouls. The 6-foot-7 senior made his presence known early, blocking a shot on the Lions' second possession of the first half.
"We dug ourselves a hole with me on the bench," said Hall, who had 4 blocks to go with his 7 points and 8 rebounds. "I was just happy to come back in the second. We knew our inside presence would be a big advantage against them. We look to take control with that."
It was St. Viator (17-8) , who had its 4-year string of regional titles broken, that looked like the seasoned team early in the game.
The Lions ran off 9 unanswered points to take a 14-7 lead on a 3 by Marc Cook early on the second quarter. Viator then was able to open up a 26-15 lead just before the end of the half on a pair of free throws by Jake Stepuszek.
But Hoffman and Thornton turned the tables from there.
Trailing 28-18, Thornton scored the game's next 10 points and it became a battle from there.
"We knew we were going to face some adversity because they are a good team," said Thornton, who finished with 21 points.
"We knew we had nothing to lose. I just made my shots when we needed them."
Yanule, whose team has 10 seniors on his squad, said that their maturity was the difference for his team.
"I thought our growth really showed," Yanule said. "I am extraordinarily proud of that."
Davis had 10 points for Hoffman while Lamont McIntosh had 6 points and Cleveland had 5 points.
Walsh led St. Viator with 20 points while Stepuszek had 10 points, Matt Trimberger 6 and Kevin Murphy 5.