Daniels, Vernon Hills savor history-making share of title
He was sick, tired and lacking energy, but Vernon Hills senior DaVaris Daniels was not about to miss out on a shot at history.
Daniels was rotated in and out of the lineup during the first half of the Cougars’ showdown for first place in the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division against visiting North Chicago.
“I felt rested and had more energy when I got those breaks in the first half,” Daniels said. “I normally don’t get breaks like that, but my coaches were trying to keep me fresh and keep me out of foul trouble.”
The Notre Dame-bound Daniels was fresh in the second half, scoring 16 of his game-high 29 points to lead the Cougars to a historic 75-60 win over the Warhawks.
The triumph enabled the Cougars to earn a share of the NSC Prairie title for the first time in school history. Daniels also added 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals as the hosts handed North Chicago just its second conference loss in the last three years.
Because of tiebreakers of more wins by 6 points or more, North Chicago will face NSC Lake division champion Warren in the February 23rd NSC title game.
“This is just unreal,” Daniels said after the win. “To go out and get this win and become the first team in history to win conference is great.”
Vernon Hills (16-7, 10-2) broke a 32-32 halftime tie on an assist from Daniels to senior Jarrett Wood. The bucket gave the Cougars the lead for good at 36-34 with 7:02 left in the third quarter.
“This was a game that has been in the back of our minds for a long time,” said Wood, who chipped in 15 points and 11 boards. “The last time we played (North Chicago) we didn’t rebound well and didn’t handle the ball well and we did that tonight.”
Wood and Daniels ignited a quick run to end the third quarter that ultimately helped put the game out of reach for Vernon Hills. Wood started the 9-3 run with a layup. Daniels then ended the burst and the quarter on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Cougars their biggest lead of the night to that point at 56-48.
“That just wasn’t us out there tonight,” said North Chicago coach Gerald Coleman. “Vernon Hills wanted it more than us and they did what they needed to do to get the win.”
The fourth quarter turned into a long eight-minute coronation for the Cougars. The hosts built a lead up to as many as 16 in the final quarter as they coasted to a share of the conference crown. North Chicago (11-11, 10-2) tried to pull closer and relied heavily on junior leading scorer Aaron Simpson. But even the 27-point effort by Simpson was not enough.
“This was truly a team effort win,” said Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty. “We wanted to control the tempo, defensive rebound and hold them to 60 or less and we did all of that tonight.”
Chris Argianas of Vernon Hills (13 points) and Daryle Pearson of North Chicago (10 points) also hit double figures.