Boys basketball: Naperville North surges late vs. Grant
Naperville North got back to what was successful before its Hinkle Holiday Classic first-round game with Grant got away Saturday afternoon.
Grant surrendered the first 9 points but battled back for a 2-point lead with less than four minutes left. Then center Will Harvey found Miles Okyne for a 3-pointer and Huskies pulled away to a 48-43 victory at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.
“We got a little selfish offensively and had to go back to moving the ball around,” Okyne said after he shared game-high scoring of 12 points with teammate Carson Loughlin. “Antonio Brown (9 points, 3 assists) distributing the ball to everyone was huge. We played as a team and locked in on defense.”
A 10-3 burst in the final 3:25 put the Huskies (7-3), in their first Hinkle appearance after 13 years at York, in Monday’s 6 p.m. quarterfinal against No. 3 Crystal Lake South (9-2). A.J. Demirov (17 points) and Cooper Buelna (13 points) led the Gators in a 55-40 win over Bartlett (4-8) and Colin Taylor (19 points, 7 rebounds).
Harvey (8 points, 7 rebounds) and Jack Zitko (7 points) helped the Huskies rebound from losses of senior scoring leader Max Steele to a concussion in practice earlier in the week and 59-43 to Metea Valley on Friday.
“We definitely came back today with a chip on our shoulder and ready to play,” Okyne said.
Grant (5-6), which is now 4-2 since losing all-conference senior Landon Enters to a torn ACL, came back by using a zone for the first time all season and a balanced offense of 11 points from Damarrion Smith and 9 apiece from Charles Schlicht (8 rebounds), Braylon Gray and Brandon Wolkowitz.
Wolkowitz banked in the first of 3 consecutive 3s in the third quarter to energize the Bulldogs. The third assist from Cameron Houghton to Smith for a layup put them up 40-38 with 3:42 left.
“We have guys stepping up and starting to get a feel for new roles,” said Grant coach Wayne Bosworth, “and you can see for the rest of the tournament and rest of the year we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
After Okyne’s 3, Loughlin found Harvey and Okyne hit Loughlin for layups en route to a 46-41 lead at 0:47.
“We were fortunate to come back and take the lead after that,” said Huskies coach Gene Nolan. “That’s tough to do against a tough, well-coached team like Grant.”
Schlicht’s baseline runner and a turnover gave Grant a chance for a tying 3 after a timeout at 0:11. Nolan wanted to force the ball into the backcourt and foul in the frontcourt at around six seconds, but the Huskies’ denial defense forced a five-second call on the midcourt inbound play and Okyne sealed it with 2 free throws.
“It worked out even better,” Nolan smiled. “I’m glad we didn’t have to see what they were able to run.”
Grant plays Bartlett in the consolation bracket at noon Monday.