Gritt's great effort helps Hersey edge Palatine in OT

Hersey boys basketball coach Steve Messer like to call 6 foot senior guard Dan Gritt his fifth-and-a-half man.

"Dan does everything but start," said Messer. "He plays the off guard and the wing position, plays good defense, rebounds - and tonight made some big shots."

Gritt certainly played a key role in the Huskies' 72-68 Mid-Suburban crossover win at Hersey's Ken Carter gymnasium against Palatine. He finished with 16 points, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, and started two key comebacks for the Huskies (7-8).

Hersey trailed 18-8 to the Pirates after the first quarter. Gritt's 3 started a run that helped the Huskies close the gap to 30-24 at halftime.

"I shot when my teammates were able to find me open," said Gritt. "I've worked very hard practicing my shot in the back yard with (Hersey girls standout Claire Gritt, his sister). I've worked very hard to get the minutes that I get."

Trailing 52-36 after Palatine (4-12) finished the last seven minutes of the third quarter with a 22-4 run, Gritt and the Huskies went to work.

Gritt started the comeback with a 3 that was quickly followed by two buckets from Chris O'Toole (14 points).

Johnny O'Shea, who scored 11 points for Palatine, scored on an assist from Scott Elter (11 points, 6 rebounds) to give the Pirates a 56-48 lead with 5:00 left in regulation.

Another Gritt 3 and two baskets from Grant Wagner (12 points) closed the gap to 56-51 with 2:35 left.

O'Toole's 3 with :41 left made the score 59-58 as Hersey trailed by 1 point.

Palatine could not convert a 3-on-1 break and O'Toole came away with the loose ball.

Joe Coffaro was fouled driving the lane with 11.1 left. He hit the first but missed the second free throw to knot the game at 59, sending it to overtime.

"At the begining of the quarter I told the players to try to cut the lead to 8 with four minutes left in the game," said Messer. "We did better we cut it to 4 points."

Gritt hit 2 free throws to ties the game at 63 in overtime. He would hit two more free throws with :09 left to make the final score 72-68.

Coffaro (18 points, 8 rebounds) had a key play with the game tied at 63 when he rebounded a Pirates miss and went the full court for a layup to give Hersey the lead at 65-63 with 1:44 remaining. Wagner hit a basket with :52 for a 67-63 lead.

"I had good court vision when I grabbed the rebound," said Coffaro. "I saw there was a opening and went to the rim. We hope to string together some wins."

"Joe showed another side of him," said Messer. "Palatine concentrated on shutting him down. He played smarter, not harder. He found the open men."

"Hersey hit shots and played with a lot of composure," said Palatine coach Eric Millstone. "We need to get comfortable playing with a lead. Tonight we played well for three quarters. We have to be able to play as well in the last eight minutes."

Jake Moertl led Palatine with 17 points, which included five 3s. Cortez Hogan had 14 points and 8 rebounds for the Pirates.