Gibbs' pass lifts Addison Trail over West Chicago at buzzer

Jaleo Gibbs didn't care whether it was a shot or an assist, as long as it was a game-winner.

Driving to the basket in the waning seconds of Tuesday's boys basketball game at West Chicago, the Addison Trail senior guard could have chosen either option as he rose in the lane.

Sensing the defensive attention coming his way, Gibbs dished the ball to 6-foot-5 teammate Alex Dimaris, who gently scored on a layup to give the Blazers a 49-48 buzzer-beating victory.

"The play's designed to get something going to the basket or for a kick out," Gibbs said. "I knew they were going to collapse on me and I knew I had (Dimaris) there. Alex hit a great layup, and I'd rather have the assist anytime.

"Getting the 'W' is all that matters," he said. "I'd much rather have the assist as long as we get the win."

Both teams had chances to seal the win in the fourth quarter. It started with the Wildcats (0-8), who used a 7-0 spurt at the start of the period to build a 41-37 advantage in the nonconference game.

Eight straight points by Addison Trail (3-4) reversed the margin, and Gibbs scored to give the Blazers a 47-43 lead in the final minute.

After Charles Jacques, who scored a game-high 23 points for the Wildcats, knocked down his fifth 3-pointer, he fed an assist for a layup by Al Robbins that put West Chicago ahead 48-47 with 9.3 seconds left.

Addison Trail called timeout, setting the stage for Gibbs' game-winning feed to Dimaris.

"We practice game situations like that, so it was pretty close to how we drew it up," said Blazers coach Brendan Lyons. "We're just trying to get the ball to the rim and give ourselves a chance."

The biggest lead for either side was 5 points in the first half, but a late flurry by Addison Trail narrowed West Chicago's halftime advantage to 23-22. Five lead changes and a tie followed in the third quarter.

Chris Benjamin scored 14 points off the bench for Addison Trail while Gibbs and Tyler Horvath each added 9 points. Ryan Karg had 6 points and 9 rebounds for West Chicago.

"It's been on-the-job training for a lot of our guys out there," said West Chicago coach Kevin Baldus, who hopes to return third-year starter Chad Driscoll from a knee injury in the next couple of weeks. "We just have to keep working to get better."