Maine S. gets by Sabres
The way Tuesday night's game was playing out it seemed as if the Streamwood boys basketball team just needed to give Tem Esikiel another chance for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Esikiel nor any of his Sabres teammates ever got the opportunity.
A turnover with 20 seconds remaining of a 2-point game cost Streamwood a chance at a game-tying or go-ahead basket as Maine South went on to defeat the Sabres 67-63 in nonconference play in Streamwood.
"We tried to get the best shot we could get," Sabres coach Tim Jones said. "We just didn't get the ball to (Marcus Lewis) in time. He was wide open in the lane."
Esikiel hit a long 3-pointer off the backboard at the end of the second quarter to cut the Hawks' lead to 32-25. At the end of the third quarter, the senior connected on a shot from just past midcourt, again off the glass and again cutting the Sabres' deficit to 7, 52-45.
Maine South (4-0), playing without five players from its Class 8A football state championship team, built the lead on the inside game of Kevin Schlitter and the 3-point shooting of Strahinja Nikolic. The 6-foot-7 Schlitter scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, seven offensive, in the first three quarters. The junior finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds. Nikolic hit five first-half 3-pointers and scored 17 points.
"(Schlitter) had the quietest 19 I've ever seen. We didn't exploit him enough," Hawks coach Tony Lavorato Jr. said.
The Sabres (1-4) quickened the pace, forcing 7 turnovers, in the fourth quarter to get back in the game. Esikiel's fourth 3-pointer with 6:04 left cut the Hawks' lead to 55-54. Maine South increased the lead back to 5, 61-56, before an Esikiel steal and 3-point play and a Lewis steal and layup tied the game at 61-61 with 1:12 remaining.
The Hawks' Justin Wasik hit 2 free throws with 1:07 left. Streamwood ran more than 40 seconds off the clock looking for the best shot, but not necessarily holding for the last shot. But a tough pass in the lane was deflected and picked up by Pat Maher, who hit 4 free throws in the final 19 seconds to ice the game.
"Our shot selection wasn't always the best, but we made our defense our offense," Jones said. "The effort was there."
Esikiel finished with 26 points and 6 rebounds. Lewis added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.