Schager’s buzzer-beater sends Glenbard North past York to supersectional
When Glenbard North's Jack Schager unleashed a game-deciding 3-point attempt with one second remaining in a Class 4A sectional final Friday at Addison Trail High School, he feared the ball was flying too far.
“I saw it on line,” Schager said, “but I honestly thought I shot it too hard just because of the adrenaline.”
As the clock hit 0.0 and the ball approached the rim, teammate JJ Hernandez crouched down inside the paint and thought, “Please go in.”
Boom.
It did, grazing the back of the rim, hitting the front and falling through the net to give Glenbard North a heart-stopping 44-43 victory over York. The soft-spoken Schager barely knew how to react, retreating to midcourt almost in disbelief before being mobbed by teammates.
“I looked back and didn't know what to do,” Schager said.
It's the second straight game Glenbard North won on a buzzer-beater, with the Panthers prevailing 37-36 over Lake Park on Hernandez's overtime shot Tuesday. Glenbard North will face Glenbrook North at 8 p.m. Monday at the Hoffman Estates supersectional at NOW Arena.
The shot ruined what would have been a storybook finish for York point guard AJ Levine, who badly sprained his left ankle with 3:55 remaining. After getting the ankle taped, Levine came back in with 2:27 remaining. He hopped off on one foot with 1:31 on the clock, yet somehow returned to bury a 3-pointer that gave York a 43-41 lead before the Panthers' final possession.
“I felt it crunch when I rolled it. Seeing that we were down I couldn't just watch the game go like that,” said Levine, who led all scorers with 21 points and added 4 rebounds and 3 steals. “Playing with these guys means so much to me. I just knew an injury couldn't take that away from me.”
Said York coach Mike Dunn: “He's an all-stater to me. There's no doubt. What he does offensively and defensively … I don't know how he's not an all-stater on a team that went to the Sweet Sixteen.”
What makes Glenbard North's run even more remarkable is it's happening without all-conference forward Jalen Crues, who broke his wrist in the regional opener.
“It just motivates us to work harder because we wouldn't be in this position without him,” Schager said. “Seeing him on the sideline, we're really emotional about it.”
Neither team led by more than 4 points the entire night.
Kyle Waltz had 10 points, 5 blocks and 4 rebounds for York, while Brendan Molis had 9 points on 4-for-7 shooting. Molis' 3-pointer cut Glenbard's lead to 41-40 with 1:06 remaining to help set up the dramatic finish.
The final possession began in earnest when Hernandez managed to throw a jump pass to Abushanab, who was cutting at the free-throw line. The sophomore saw Schager raising his arms outside the arc and made a quick pass. Schager caught the ball, rose up and unleashed the shot that sent Glenbard North to its first sectional title since 2002.
“I gave the ball to the shooter and was praying that the ball goes in,” said Abushanab, who hit 6 of 7 shots and finished with 13 points. “Just had a wave emotions go through my whole body.”
Schager had 9 points, draining 3 of 6 from behind the arc.
“He's the hardest-working kid I know,” Tonn said. “He's tough as nails. I mean he got run over three or four times tonight on charge attempts and one of them got called. Everyone loves him on the team. He's a kid that everyone would fight for and I'm so happy for him to hit that last-second shot.”
The emotions in the York locker room were obviously quite raw. A half dozen teary-eyed players sat in a semi-circle, coming to grips with the tough reality of knowing their season was over.
“My heart just sunk (when Schager's shot fell),” Waltz said. “The place erupted and I couldn't even hear anything. My first thought was, 'I'm not going to get to spend another day with them.' It was tough. But I'm going to remember all of them forever.”
Dunn “couldn't be prouder” of a team that went from 13-18 a year ago to 26-8 and was seconds away from winning its first sectional title since 1982.
“I love those guys,” Dunn said. “They changed my life. We sat down at the end of last season and we changed the narrative of what we needed to do, and every one of those kids bought in. They were just great leaders and mentors. They made our program so much better.”