Forget the misses, Skinner got it done for Glenbard E.
On one of his first touches of the game, Lee Skinner missed a breakaway dunk attempt.
A few minutes later, the ball slipped right out of the Glenbard East senior's hands under the basket for a turnover.
Not exactly a dream start for Skinner, who was trying to help his team reach its first sectional final in 46 years.
Skinner, however, did what all good players do. He just kept playing.
The top-seeded Rams (27-1), after beating Oswego East 70-62 in Tuesday's Class 4A Neuqua Valley sectional semifinals, will vie for their first sectional title since 1964 on Friday when they face tonight's winner between Benet and East Aurora.
"I had a tough start, but I battled through it," Skinner said. "I always try to keep my head, not just for myself but my team also feeds off it. If I'm turning the ball over, or not getting the rebounds we need, or finishing layups, that affects my team. If I make a bad play I've got to move on and forget about it."
Skinner did just that.
The 6-foot-7 forward finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, 3 assists, 2 steals and he took a third-quarter charge at the start of an 8-2 run that extended the lead to double digits early in the fourth quarter.
Still, it certainly wasn't a perfect game for Skinner. There were some third-quarter misses, for example, he'd love to have back.
With push coming to shove, though, Skinner stood tall for the Rams as he gutted through the dirty work.
"That's what I told him, I was so proud of him," said Rams coach Scott Miller. "He never got down. He missed some bunnies and just kept playing. I think he really grew up in that regard. He just competed from beginning to end, which I was real happy about."
"The end" proved to be its own motivator for Skinner and the six other Glenbard East seniors fighting to extend their careers for as long as possible.
The way he fought for the ball on Tuesday, there's no doubt Skinner felt the sense of urgency kicking in. He may have struggled putting it in the basket, but the Rams wouldn't be playing on Friday if it weren't for his overall effort against the Wolves.
After a rough start redemption was pretty sweet.
Skinner even had a chance to make up for the missed dunk when he hammered home a one-handed slam at the tail end of that 8-2 run in the fourth quarter.
He started the burst with a tip-in, continued it by taking the charge, and finished it with the thunderous jam.
"It was just there," Skinner said of the dunk. "I had to do it to get my team up."
Mission accomplished, in more ways than one.
kschmit@dailyherald.com