Hoffman rallies for shot at Proviso East
Facing undefeated Proviso East on its home floor in Maywood could be viewed as an unenviable task.
Hoffman Estates views it as more enviable than the alternative it faced Monday night when it trailed Wheaton North by 8 points with just three minutes left in their Class 4A Proviso East regional quarterfinal.
The 17th-seeded Hawks (9-15) stormed back for a 72-68 victory as senior Austin Terry scored 28 points.
"We called a timeout and told the kids we've got them right where we want them," said Hoffman coach Luke Yanule, "and if we defend we're going to make a run.
"We went full court the whole fourth quarter but it was really our half-court defense. Our rotations were outstanding, we pressured their guards and created some turnovers."
Hoffman forced 8 turnovers down the stretch and finished 23-for-29 at the free-throw line. Senior Sam Wilks hit a pair with three seconds left to seal the victory and Terry finished 13-for-15.
Alex Bonds scored 11 points, Darion Brown had 10 points and Brian Cvitkovich and Connor Schwarz added 9 points apiece to put the Hawks into today's 7:30 p.m. regional semifinal against the top-seeded Pirates (26-0).
"We'll see how we handle pressure," Yanule said.