Rough 4th quarter costs Crystal Lake South
Crystal Lake South played some of its best basketball against Jefferson and was poised to grab a spot in the championship bracket of Jacobs' Hinkle Holiday Classic.
Until it all fell apart in the fourth quarter.
The Gators' once-smooth offense crumbled under Jefferson's pressure. The J-Hawks, somewhat listless through three quarters, became very much alive. South seemed to get just a little tighter on each possession.
"We couldn't give the ball away fast enough," South coach Matt LePage said. "It was an embarrassing quarter. It's too bad because we were in a great position to beat a good team."
Jefferson grabbed eight turnovers off the Gators in the fourth quarter and overcame a 22-point second-half deficit for a 53-51 victory Thursday in their Pool IV game at the tournament. The J-Hawks (11-2, 3-0 Pool IV) advance to the championship bracket, where they will meet defending champion Cary-Grove (11-1) at 6 p.m. Friday in a semifinal.
"The fourth quarter was a mess," Gators guard Tyler Miller said. "We played great the first three quarters. We had momentum and energy, then we fell apart and went into panic mode. We seemed to not take care of the ball. We tried different plays and sets and it wasn't working. They're really quick and get to the ball. Props to them."
South (6-7, 2-1) will face Grayslake Central at 3 p.m. in the Consolation A bracket.
The Gators took a 44-22 lead midway through the third quarter on Isaiah Kirkeeng's 3-pointer from the left corner. Jefferson cut the lead to 46-30 by the end of the quarter, but South still seemed in control.
The J-Hawks, who hit 11 of 37 field goal attempts in the first three quarters, shot mostly layups and hit 9 of 13 in the fourth. The points came in waves.
"It's a disappointment," said Gators forward Casey Haskin, who shared team-high at 12 points with Damir Glamoc. "We came out so strong. It just went downhill in the fourth quarter. Everyone felt deflated a little bit. We kind of fell apart. We could have been tougher."
Haskin grabbed a rebound and scored with 1:01 remaining to give the Gators a 51-50 lead. But Qua Robinson scored in the lane with 23.6 remaining for a 52-51 lead. Then, Brenden Moss hit a free throw with 4.4 to go.
South had one last shot after Moss missed the second shot, but Brock Jewson's 3-pointer rolled off the rim.
"We came back strong and played as a team," said J-Hawks guard George Williams, who scored nine of his team-high 13 in the fourth quarter. "We just had to get this 'W,' no matter what we won by."
Miller added 10 points and seven rebounds for South.
LePage said he tried everything in the fourth quarter.
"Slow down. Hit the open player. Ball fake. Continue to try to score," LePage said. "We had some moments, we had layups and open 3s and we have to make them. They're going to keep coming. We have to keep scoring. We needed a basket to swing the momentum and we never got it."