Glenbard North hangs on to beat Waubonsie
How do you cure five minutes of letdown?
Glenbard North's boys basketball team did it with 21 seconds of composure.
That's what it took for the Panthers and senior guard James Fleming to hold off Waubonsie Valley in Monday's Warrior Christmas Classic in Aurora.
Fleming knocked down 5 of 6 free throws in the waning seconds to help Glenbard North beat the charging Warriors 64-59 in the opening round of the tournament hosted by Waubonsie Valley.
The Panthers (5-3) led 59-44 with 5:02 left after Reggie Davis scored his 21st point of the night, but then Waubonsie Valley (2-8) stormed back. The Warriors scored 12 straight points and pulled within 61-59 with 12 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Ryan Lippman, who scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Fleming missed the front end of two straight 1-and-1s but settled down and iced the outcome in the final 21 seconds.
"A couple free throws didn't go down for me, but I kept my composure and I knew I could knock them down," said Fleming, who scored 18 points.
Davis dominated early with 10 first-quarter points as the Panthers built a quick 9-0 lead. After Davis scored 6 straight points to put his team ahead 18-13, Glenbard North never trailed or allowed the Warriors to tie it.
"We wanted to start out and be aggressive," Davis said. "My teammates got me some good passes inside and got me when I was open, so it was all a team thing."
Waubonsie Valley trailed 54-35 in the final seconds of the third quarter when Alex Edmondson, who scored 11 points, nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. That momentum carried over to the fourth quarter as the Warriors rallied.
Tyler Perkins led Waubonsie Valley with 14 points. Glenbard North's Mike Carev scored 8 of his 11 points in the third quarter.
"The frustrating thing is I know our guys have it in them, because they show it," said Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer. "We fought back hard, and I commend them for that, but that's not good enough. We need to play hard for four quarters."