Naperville North comeback stuns WW South
Naperville North inducted its newest Hall of Fame members Friday night, but Huskies fans were hyperventilating with joy after the boys basketball team created an instant legend worthy of enshrinement with the most improbable 116 seconds of basketball ever played in North's gymnasium.
Trailing visiting Wheaton Warrenville South 44-32 with 1:56 left in a DuPage Valley Conference showdown, the Huskies finished the game with 15 straight points for a 47-44 victory.
The crushing blow for WW South came with 16.9 seconds left when Naperville North junior guard Jovonn Griffin finished off a fastbreak with a driving layup, was fouled and cashed in the free throw for a 45-44 lead - the Huskies' first lead of the second half.
When the Tigers tried to drive in for what they hoped would be the winning basket, Naperville North forward Matt LaCosse blocked the shot, and it sent guard Chris McGee flying the other way to put in the game's final hoop.
Referees had to chase jubilant Naperville North fans off the court, saying the Tigers had two seconds left to try to tie the game. But a 3-point attempt came up short, sending Huskies fans into orbit.
"I got the ball on the outlet and I was just thinking go," said Griffin, in describing his go-ahead layup. "I was able to get the bucket and the foul, and the fans started cheering, and it was just fun."
Like his players and their fans, Naperville North coach Jeff Powers was breathless and extremely happy after his team pulled off a miracle for its sixth win in its last seven games.
"That was a pretty special win and our guys showed a lot of heart," Powers said. "We used the old Walter Payton saying, 'Never Die Easy,' and these kids just refused to die."
Naperville North (16-5, 6-4) had been stifled most of the second half by the Tigers' man-to-man defense and time-consuming motion offense in this battle for second place in the conference.
"We were hoping they would eventually get tired, and it just seemed like they never would, and they kept making shots," Powers said. "But we put some fresh bodies in there at the end, and we got some touches and turnovers, and I think maybe Wheaton Warrenville did get a little tired."
It was a crushing loss for WW South (6-4, 14-7), which had put on a clinic for much of the game in neutralizing Naperville North's size advantage and spreading its offense in scoring effectively from the perimeter or inside the lane.
"We just fell apart," said WW South coach Mike Healy. "We didn't knock down free throws, we didn't get back in transition, we just fouled people - it was just a disastrous two minutes."
The game had 8 lead changes and 7 ties in the first half, giving every indication that it was going to be difficult for either team to make a significant run. But the Tigers did it first, climbing to a 35-27 lead after three quarters and building it up to that 44-32 with 1:56 left on a beautiful drive by Greg McAndrew.
When LaCosse made 1 of 2 free throws at 1:41, the Huskies started their improbable comeback, which was aided by 4 missed free throws and 4 turnovers by the Tigers down the stretch.
James O'Shaughnessy converted a three-point play at the 1:15 mark to make it 44-36 and Huskies fans started to believe 10 seconds later when LaCosse scored on an offensive rebound to cut the lead to 6.
Another turnover resulted in a driving layup by Joe McNicholas, and O'Shaughnessy converted another power drive.
"We outplayed them for 30 minutes and really played well," Healy added. "It's unfortunate that sometimes in athletics two minutes can wipe away all of the good things that you did in a game."
Jason Schuman led the Tigers with a game-high 13 points and 8 rebounds, while also holding Naperville North's 6-foot-10 Matt Hasse scoreless.