Moore's buzzer beater sends Elgin to title game
Junior Dennis Moore cemented his reputation as a clutch player Wednesday when he buried the game-winning shot to beat Rockford Auburn in overtime, 62-60, in a semifinal of the 36th Annual Elgin Holiday Boys Basketball Tournament.
Moore, who last March scored a layup at the buzzer to win a regional playoff game against St. Charles East, inflicted his damage this time from 3-point range.
Elgin trailed 60-59 when the Maroons inbounded the ball after a timeout with 10.4 seconds left in the extra session. Their intent was to work a two-man game between Moore (26 points) and junior Kory Brown (20 points).
“The plan was me driving to the lane and seeing if Kory was open, but it just wasn't there, so we had to make something happen,” Moore said.
Unintentionally, it became a three-man game on the perimeter when Elgin junior Cortez Scott received a pass on the right wing with three seconds left because the Auburn defense was overplaying.
Off a ball screen, Scott spotted Moore in the corner and fed him the pass. Moore rose and shot over onrushing 6-foot-6 Auburn forward Taivious Ford just before the buzzer sounded.
Moore's shot touched nothing but net.
The Maroons immediately mobbed the 5-foot-11 wing near their bench, where they were soon joined by the Elgin student section in a wild celebration.
“I was just trying to find an open look and I was just hoping my teammates would pass the ball back and they did,” Moore said. “I just had to find a look and I had it. So I just elevated, shot, hoped it went in and it did.”
Auburn (9-2) gave Moore credit for sinking such a tough attempt under intense pressure.
“I thought we defended the inbounds play very well,” Auburn coach Bryan Ott said. “We had them scrambling with the ball until they found the kid in the corner. What a heck of a way to lose.”
“Honestly, I thought we defended it as well as we could,” Auburn senior guard Fred Van Vleet said. “It was perfectly defended. They just got off the shot that couldn't be defended.”
The victory was the fourth straight for Elgin (9-2), which advances to the title game of its own tournament for the first time since the Maroons won it all in 1999.
Elgin will face Upstate Eight Conference foe Neuqua Valley (12-0) for the title tonight at 8 p.m. The Wildcats seek their third tournament title at Elgin in five seasons.
Elgin will be shooting for its second tournament title this season. The Maroons won the Buffalo Grove Thanksgiving tournament on Nov 26, but that accomplishment would pale in comparison to winning the tournament the school has hosted since 1975.
“Eleven years it's been since we've been in the championship, so it means a lot for us,” Brown said. “We're trying to bring Elgin basketball back ... We're trying to bring Elgin, as a school, back on the map. A lot of people are starting to hear about us.”
Elgin coach Mike Sitter called the semifinal win the biggest victory for the program since the Maroons won a sectional title in 2008 against Hononegah, 79-77. The win was particularly important for the growing confidence of Elgin's junior-laden lineup.
“(Assistant coach) Jeff (Howard) reminds me every day that, although we have a lot of experience, we're still young,” Sitter said. “They're not used to winning on the varsity level and that's why it's big. They're all juniors and they're all kids who won 7 games last year, so it's big for them to learn how to win and to be close at the end.”
Moore's shot wasn't Elgin's only clutch 3-point field goal of the game. Elgin rallied from an 8-point deficit with 4:10 left and eventually tied it with 48 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Brown from the top of the arc.
“Arie (Williams) gave me a nice pass,” Brown said. “He upfaked and my guy actually jumped over. Arie had faith in me the way I have faith in my teammates. Faith willed that ball into the basket.”
Van Vleet's double-clutch attempt at the regulation buzzer was well defended by Elgin's Gerardo Mojica, who deflected the attempt. The teams went to overtime tied 53-53.