Tiongson's the exception to the declining free-throw rule

Foul shooting is an accurate description for some of the inaccuracy at the free-throw line by area boys basketball teams this season.

Some of the numbers haven't been pretty. Even Hoffman Estates, the best in the area this year at 72.6 percent and last year at 73, had an off-target 3-for-16 night in early January.

It was part of a combined 7-for-28 at Hersey. At least Hoffman, the only Mid-Suburban League team hitting at least 70 percent, atoned a week later by hitting all 15 of its attempts at Streamwood.

Some of the percentages will make grown men/coaches cringe when a close game ends up on the line. Especially with their magnitude increasing in a few weeks with the start of the postseason.

Then there's Hoffman senior guard Kevin Tiongson, who leads the area at 93 percent with only 7 misses in 100 attempts. Last year he hit 87.1 percent (54-for-62).

"Sophomore year I started knocking them down and every time I went to the line I thought, 'this is easy,'" Tiongson said a couple of weeks ago after hitting 5 of 6 in the final 1:29 of a 38-36 win over Huntley. "There's no one in your face so they're easy points for me. You have to knock them down."

Easier said than done for a lot of players other than Tiongson. But the combination of work in practice and mental approach helped Tiongson hit 33 in a row en route to making 68 of his first 70 this season, according to Hoffman stats guru Brian Staunton.

Tiongson still had a long way to go to approach the state's longest streaks of 76 by Glenbrook South's Brad Niemann in 1986-87 and 71 by former Rolling Meadows star Mike Lipnisky in 1989-90.

But according to IHSA records, Tiongson's run ranks 13th all-time on a list where you can find former Glenbrook North and current Duke star Jon Scheyer six times (28, 30, 31, 35, 45 and 47).

"Not ever did I really think about it," Tiongson said. "I was hoping to get fouled and go to the line and knock it down. Everyone was telling me something (about the streak) but I was going with the flow."

What surprised Tiongson was going from a can't-miss proposition to suddenly missing two consecutive attempts.

"I was shocked because I did not think I was going to miss two in a row," Tiongson said. "I was really focused on making the second one and was shocked after I missed it.

"After practice and before warmups (of the next game) when I was shooting around, I shot more free throws to make sure I didn't miss two in a row again."

But it's tough to simulate the conditions and pressures such as a crucial attempt in the closing seconds of a close game. It's one thing to do it in an empty gym or a driveway and another with 3,000 fans screaming as loudly as they can.

And this year's percentages show the best things in life aren't always free throws.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com