Driscoll 76, Walther Lutheran 74

Matt Kaban was in the right place at the right time for Driscoll in Friday's boys basketball game against Walther Lutheran.

With the score tied and the final seconds clicking off, the 6-foot-7 junior forward crashed the offensive glass and put back a missed shot as time expired, lifting the host Highlanders to a thrilling 76-74 nonconference victory over the Broncos in Addison.

"We drew it up on the sideline," Kaban said. "The play was to go to Jake (Lindfors), but he was covered. Dave (Schwabe) took the shot and I was there to put it in."

Kaban finished with 21 points while 6-10 Lindfors, who is committed to Division I Albany, poured in a game-high 36 points including 16 in the fourth quarter. Size was a decisive factor for Driscoll (8-2). While Walther Lutheran had an advantage with its quickness up and down the court, the Broncos had no answer for this dynamic frontcourt duo.

That advantage was especially apparent in the first half when Kaban and Lindfors combined for 27 of the Highlanders' 35 points.

"They really couldn't match up with us," Lindfors said. "Every time we went inside, we scored a lot. When we extended our lead, it is because we went inside."

"They have some big guys who are real skilled," said Walther Lutheran coach Bob Koehne. "We knew we had to shut them down. They were able to take advantage. One of their big guys was there at the end. That was disappointing to us."

The Broncos (5-3) did show a lot of fight. In the third quarter Driscoll surged ahead by 9 points, but Walther Lutheran reeled off 15 unanswered points for a 52-46 lead with 2:08 to play in the frame. Chris Thompson scored 6 of his team-high 23 points. Cedric Collins, who scored 14 points for the game, hit a couple of key jump shots including a 3-pointer.

In the fourth quarter, it was the Highlanders' turn to make a big surge. Lindfors went on a tear. After a block by Kaban, the senior capped a 13-0 run with a thundering dunk that gave the hosts a 68-57 advantage with 4:32 to play in the battle. He had 9 points during that spurt.

Also key during that stretch was the aggressive play by Schwabe, who had a couple of steals and finished the layups strong. The senior guard tallied 13 points.

Down the stretch, the teams traded buckets. Two free throws by Lindfors with 26.5 seconds gave Driscoll at 74-72 lead, but Thompson tied it with an offensive board putback.

The Highlanders got it back and called timeout with 8.1 seconds left. Kaban then put an end to a very entertaining game when he elevated to the get the ball.

"Matt did a real good of getting to the glass," said Driscoll coach Nick Latorre. "We did a good job hitting the offensive glass."