BG works 2 OTs to stop Wheeling
Buffalo Grove had been fighting to get back in the Mid-Suburban East race, but on Friday the Bison were fighting just to survive a relentless Wheeling attack.
Buffalo Grove (16-8, 6-3) survived, but just barely, squeezing out a 74-71 double-overtime MSL East victory.
BG senior Kevin Tennenbaum (10 points) scored 4 points in the second overtime and the Bison were able to exhale when Wheeling junior Charlie Kirk (10 points) had a potential game tying 3-pointer miss the mark.
"Our guys stuck together very well," said BG coach Ryan O'Connor. "It was a double overtime game, so of course it was going to be tense. I wouldn't say I was holding my breath. I thought we made them earn it and if they were going to hit, it was going to have to be a good one."
Senior guard Jeff Zabrin and junior center Sam Wacker paced the Bison by scoring 16 points each. But both Zabrin and Wacker had fouled out and were not available for the finale.
Tennenbaum picked up the pace and gave the Bison breathing room with his two crucial baskets.
"I knew I had to step up and make shots," said Tennebaum, who has been battling a sprained ligament in his thumb. "We kept thinking we had the game, but they kept coming back."
Senior Nick Prus (12 points) and senior Dan Recht (11 points) aided the Bison attack.
Wheeling (6-16, 1-8) battled back from a 6-point fourth-quarter deficit as senior guard Tyler Shapiro (game-high 18 points) hit a 3-pointer and added basket off a turnover to give the Wildcats a 51-50 lead with 3:55 left in regulation.
Wheeling increased its margin to 57-53 on a basket by Kirk, but BG tied the game on a basket by Tennebaum with 37.1 seconds remaining.
Zabrin hit 2 free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining in the first overtime to give Buffalo Grove a 65-63 lead, but Wheeling came back once again as Riley Harvey scored at the buzzer off a loose ball to send the game into the second overtime.
"Buffalo Grove has been one of the hottest teams in the area," said Wheeling coach John Clancy, a 2003 BG graduate. "We had a game plan that gave us a chance and I have 15 guys that believed that they were going to win the game tonight. It shows the growth in our program."
Nick Boyd (13 points) and Ricky Schwind (14 points) also contributed to the Wheeling attack.