Boys basketball: WW South’s Showman, Rogers dominate fourth quarter to beat Wheaton North
Wheaton Warrenville South’s David Showman and AJ Rogers combined to put on a two-man offensive show in the fourth quarter on Friday night.
Just when the Tigers looked in danger of a blowout loss in a key DuKane Conference game at rival Wheaton North, Showman and Rogers stepped up with several big shots in the fourth.
Showman and Rogers combined for 22 points in the final quarter to lift the Tigers to a thrilling 56-54 comeback win over the Falcons.
The Tigers (16-9, 8-3) gained a stronger foothold in the upper tier of the conference and defeated the Falcons for the second time this season. Showman racked up 23 points, including shooting 11 for 13 on free throws, and tallying 12 points in the final 7 minutes, 23 seconds of regulation. Rogers scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth, and senior Brody Faulstich had a pivotal block on a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.
“We showed a lot of heart,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Mike Healy said. “They were just hanging around and hanging round. David and AJ were big in the end, and Brody was huge for us. We had foul trouble, but we played better in the second half. It was a great effort.”
Showman, a first-year varsity player, looked like a seasoned veteran in front of the raucous capacity crowd. The 6-foot-3 Showman fell two points shy of his career high, but his 3-pointer from the corner was a game-changer. After the Tigers missed a few shots but were able to extend the possession by hitting the offensive glass, Showman drilled a corner 3 to slice the deficit to 48-45 with 2:22 remaining in the game.
Showman sealed the win with clutch free throws down the stretch, most notably three in the final 16.2 seconds.
“We were down 10 points and the whole game (Wheaton North) kept making plays, but we just stayed in the game by making hustle plays,” Showman said. “I had a couple of shots that weren’t falling, but I knew I had to make some shots. It felt good to get hot and gave me more energy. This was a great win against our rivals. We had a nice win earlier against them in a similar way.”
Not to be outdone, Rogers, a sophomore guard, came up with a key steal and drove for a layup and free throw to tie the game at 48-all following Showman’s corner trey. Rogers added another basket to tie the game at 50-50 with 1:32 left to set up Showman making six free throws in the final minute.
“Me and Showman stepped up at the right time,” Rogers said. “We found a win to get a win in a close game.”
The Falcons (15-9, 5-6) suffered their second tough defeat this to the Tigers – 43-42 on Dec. 19 – to drop down the conference standings. Wheaton North rode the momentum from the loud crowd to leads of 30-20 early in the third and 42-34 in the opening seconds of the fourth.
Wheaton North junior Ben Gillmar was unstoppable in the paint, finishing with 23 points, and teammate Henry Schlickman added 12 points, but the Falcons made several costly late turnovers and struggled from the free-throw line.
“We knew this game was going to come down to rebounding, but they had seven or eight offensive rebounds in the second half,” Wheaton North coach David Eaton said. “That’s where they got a ton of points from in second-chance points. You have to give credit to their kids for stepping up and making pains. Part of it is growing pains for us. We have a lot of young juniors. … I think we have a good team, but we have to learn how to finish games. I thought Ben had a good game. He was tough inside.”