Dramatic win for St. Viator

Overtime or out of time?

That's what faced St. Viator Tuesday night after a game-long, uphill climb back against up-tempo, athletic Harlan in the first game of the 31st annual Viator Thanksgiving Tournament.

And with a sophomore in his first varsity game at the foul line with 3.5 seconds left, Viator was bidding for its first lead after trailing by as many as 14 points in the third quarter.

No problem. Richard McLoughlin coolly pulled the trigger on both of his free throws, after being fouled going to the hoop on a nice feed from Eric Huber, and Viator somehow escaped with a 49-48 win.

"I was really nervous," said the 6-foot-3 sophomore forward. "I was really shaking."

You'd have never known it as he sank his game-high 18th and 19th points. Harlan point guard Anthony Turner, who gave the Lions fits all night with his quickness, tossed a runner at the horn off the rim.

Despite being Viator's only scorer in double figures, McLoughlin was quick to call it "a great team effort."

"Everybody who was on the floor contributed," said Viator coach Joe Majkowski, especially when "we decided to play defense."

That came with a 37-23 deficit. Center Matt O'Malley, who battled the taller Falcons inside all night, got the rally going with a 3 and by the time Huber scored off a turnover, McLoughlin on 2 free throws off a fastbreak and Dan Faerber on a neat drive, the Lions had closed to within 39-34 after three.

"He's a catalyst," said Majkowski of Faerber, noting that Viator's rally coincided with his taking the floor in the third quarter.

Harlan committed 15 second-half turnovers. Viator had 15 for the whole game, but still struggled to contain point guard Turner and forward Joseph White (18 points), whose athleticism shined around the basket on both ends of the floor.

McLoughlin's game-winning free throws were preceded by a pair of Bryce Hensley 3s, including the one that made it 48-47 with 32.2 seconds left. But Viator struggled from the outside most of the night and when it got the ball back after a missed free throw, there was no question where the ball was going.

"That is pressure," Majkowski said of his sophomore coming through. "His first varsity game, the game on the line."

Conant 55, Thornton 49: An inexperienced bunch of Conant Cougars took on perennial power Thornton in Tuesday's opening round of the 31st annual St. Viator boys basketball tournament.

A 55-49 overtime defeat left the Cougars feeling like they missed out on a golden opportunity.

"I really felt like we let one get away," said Conant coach Tom McCormack, whose club climbed out of a 9-point halftime hole and erased a 4-point deficit in the final two minutes, only to go cold in the overtime. "We gave up too many second shots.

"Our guys know they can compete. We've got to look at the reality of it. We didn't take care of the ball. We had 15 turnovers, some at crucial times."

In the overtime, both teams made a single basket, but the Wildcats made 6-of-11 from the line.

Despite a 29-6 disparity in free throws attempted, Conant battled back and made a game of it after trailing 28-19 at intermission.

Conant's long-range shooters hit a hot streak to open the second half, with Tony Rizzo (9 points), Tom Sotos (team-high 10) and Jeff Keegan (6) knocking down 3s. Tom Mahr's putback and a tip-in by Sotos put the finishing touches on a 13-0 run that put Conant ahead for the first time, 32-30 with 3:24 left in the third.

The Wildcats answered with a 3 from Darrell Robinson (game-high 15 points), and baskets by Reginald Smith (14) and Trevell Rivers (14) to grab a 37-32 lead after three. Baskets by Rivers to start and end the quarter were the only ones in close.

"We made a little adjustment to take away the drive in the second half," McCormack said.

"Basically, we helped out defensively on drives," said Chris Hoffman (9 points), one of four seniors who played.

Cameron Leavitt's layin off an assist from Rizzo and a putback by Rizzo gave Conant a 41-40 lead with 5:18 left. But the Wildcats regained the lead and held on until Sotos drained a 3 to tie it at 47 with 27.3 seconds left, sending the game to overtime.

"We need to establish that we're going to get the job done when the game is on the line," McCormack said. "We missed a lot of shots close to the basket."

-- Larry Weindruch