Boys basketball: Davis nails 2 late free throws to lift Warren over hot-shooting Maine South
Sophomore Jaxson Davis was honored in a pregame ceremony Wednesday night for reaching 1,000 career points faster than any player in Warren boys basketball history.
And the Blue Devils needed all 26 of his points, the last 2 on free throws with six seconds to play, to enjoy a wild 68-67 nonconference victory over Maine South in Gurnee.
“I feel I had to try to get to the rim at the end of the game and make the refs make the decision,” Davis said after he was fouled on a drive in the lane with Warren trailing by a point. “It was the right thing to do to make the refs make the decision, get to the free-throw line and knock down free throws.”
Davis shot 8-for-8 at the line and 8-for-18 from the field and had 7 assists as the Blue Devils (14-5) narrowly avoided a repeat of a 1-point home loss a week ago Wednesday to Lake Zurich. Maine South (10-11), playing its fifth game in six days, rallied furiously from a 60-49 deficit with 5:30 left behind Rico D’Alessandro (27 points on 10-for-16 shooting) and Tyler Sierra (22 points, 6-for-7 on 3s).
The last of 4 consecutive 3s by Sierra from the volleyball line put the Hawks up 67-66 with 17 seconds to play. Warren coach Zack Ryan had a timeout left but opted to let Davis make something happen.
“Having him have the ball in his hands and coming up court, we don’t let them set up their defense so we thought that was the way to do it,” Ryan said. “It was good to get a win but I’d like to execute better down the stretch.”
Warren, which got 13 points from Owen Squires and 10 from Zach Ausburn, had to watch a 23-footer by Jack Sladky (8 points, 10 rebounds) hit off the back rim at the buzzer.
“I thought it was going in,” D’Alessandro said. “He’s known to make those shots.”
D’Alessandro picked up where he left off Tuesday night after he scored 40 points in a win over Buffalo Grove to match the school record set by Roy Johnson in 1990-91.
“I definitely think we’re capable of beating any team in the state if we’re together and this proves it,” D’Alessandro said.
“I’m super proud of our group,” said Maine South coach Colin Wehman. “We’ve been preaching that we’re battle-tested playing a lot of games and playing a lot of great opponents.”