Tough break sends Schaumburg to OT loss
PONTIAC - It appeared Declan Geraghty would be the hero for Schaumburg in the Monday's nightcap of the first round of the 79th Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
The senior southpaw made several key plays down the stretch to put the Saxons on the cusp of victory over Lockport.
But Ed Ward had other plans.
The Porters' senior forward converted a 3-point play with no time on the clock to force overtime and Schaumburg never recovered.
Lockport scored all 10 points in the extra four minutes to earn a 56-46 victory.
Schaumburg, the defending runner-up of the storied tournament, falls into the consolation bracket of the 16-team, double-elimination tournament.
The Saxons (7-5) will meet host Pontiac, which fell to Simeon, at 6 p.m. today.
"I saw them fighting for the rebound," said Ward. "I grabbed it, and it went in. Once we got to overtime, we said this game is ours."
The game was nip and tuck the entire way.
Richard Barnes' inside score gave Schaumburg a 22-18 lead at the break, and the Saxons exploited poor Lockport free-throw shooting to build its largest lead of the game at 33-27 late in the third quarter.
Lockport seemingly seized command through second-chance points, but Geraghty, with Schaumburg trailing 41-38, had a theft inside the timeline and was fouled converting a driving one-hander.
Geraghty missed the free throw, but Lockport was charged with fouling Kurt Kempema, who hit both free throws with 2:15 remaining to give Schaumburg a 42-41 lead.
There was frenetic action over the next several possessions, but neither side was able to score.
Geraghty hit 4 free throws in the last half-minute, but Ward followed a banked-in jump shot by his brother Karrington to send the game to overtime.
"The ball bounced their way," Schaumburg coach Matt Walsh said. "Their kid made a great play. It seemed like we weren't ready for what's next. I'm really proud of the guys. I thought they played very hard and competed very well."
Geraghty was the lone Schaumburg player to reach double figures, complementing his team-high 18 points with 8 rebounds.
D'Monte Hopkins' 20 points paced Lockport (8-4).