Big finish helps Grant past North Chicago
So, Grant's boys basketball team trailed by 9 points to visiting North Chicago just a minute or so into the final quarter.
Not exactly an ideal spot to be in, but Grant coach Wayne Bosworth felt his senior-laden team was just where it needed to be.
"We tried to tell our guys, and we have a senior-dominated roster with 11 seniors, that playing North Chicago and being down 9 could really feel like a 2- or 3-point game - where if you are playing a team like Fremd, you could be down 6 and feel like you're down 20," Bosworth said.
The coach's view of how quickly the game could turn were dead-on.
The deficit the Bulldogs faced changed in just minutes with seniors Ben Kusiak and Kyle Dupree igniting a huge turnaround in the final minutes.
Kusiak scored 9 of his 16 points in the fourth and Dupree went for 11 of his 18 in a quarter that saw Grant explode for 34 points.
The outburst turned into a huge 80-74 win for the Bulldogs. The loss snapped an 8-game winning streak for the Warhawks, while Grant (14-8. 9-1) continued its hot streak with its eighth win in its last nine games.
"We just told our kids to stay the course in the fourth quarter and our kids stepped up and made some pretty big shots," Bosworth said.
Early on for the Bulldogs, the play of senior John Kerr kept Grant in the game. Kerr exploded for 20 first-half points and finished with a career-best 30 to go with 14 boards. He scored just 4 points in the fourth quarter, but was more than happy to share the ball with his teammates.
"I didn't even get the ball in the fourth quarter, but my teammates stepped up and hit big shots and free throws," Kerr said. "This is probably one of the biggest wins we have had in the last 5 or 10 years - it feels so great."
North Chicago (13-7, 10-1) built a 9-point advantage with 6:04 left thanks in large part to the red-hot shooting of junior Tyrek Cooper. he buried 6 of 10 from deep and led the visitors with 26 points. Cooper's steal and layup ended a Warhawk run that saw their lead get as big as 55-46.
Grant started its run with a Dupree putback; the Bulldogs eventually caught the Warhawks at 60-60 on a 3-point play from Kusiak with 4:07 left.
When North Chicago answered, a steal and layup from Mike Huff gave Grant its first lead of the second half at 64-62 with 3:47 to play.
Kusiak came up with the biggest play of the game just moments later. His offensive rebound on a missed Dupree free throw turned into an assist on a 3-pointer from Dupree that briefly gave Grant the lead.
"When I got the rebound and saw the ball up - (Kyle) is a great 3-point shooter. It was great to see it go in," Kusiak said.
"I don't know what his percentages are, but Kyle seems to hit every big 3 he faces," Bosworth added. "He is one of the most clutch shooters to come through this program in a long time."
After North Chicago tied it on a very long 3 from Cooper, Kusiak took the inbounds pass and went coast-to-coast to give Grant the lead for good at 74-72 with :33 seconds left.
"(North Chicago) was forcing me to go left and I just saw the floor open up," Kusiak said. "I just took it - that was one of the best shots I have ever hit."