Conant tops Buffalo Grove
Two things help spur Conant to a 54-48 Mid-Suburban League boys basketball crossover win at Buffalo Grove on Tuesday night.
The Cougars (17-9) cashed in at the free-throw line, hitting 25-of-32. The fourth quarter saw them connect on their first 10 and go 14-for-17.
The second factor was the emergence of 6-foot-5 senior center Avery Osby. He led Conant with 14 points, 8 rebounds and forced Bison shooters into 3 altered shots.
“This was a good confidence game for me and the team,” said Osby. “I think my court vision and basketball IQ have improved over the year. It’s like the season has been a building block for me to be a better player. I’m just trying to do what I need to do to help us win and get ready for next week’s tournament.”
Conant coach Tom McCormack has also noticed the improvement.
“When he concentrates on the floor,” said McCormack, “he can rebound, score from underneath and hit free throws. Tonight he did all those things. It was a big game from him.
“Our free throw shooting has been a bugaboo for us also. Tonight we did well and our defense stepped up in the second half. To hold a high scoring team like Buffalo Grove (16-10) to 48 points you’re doing a good job.”
The Bison had balanced scoring in the first half as they led 29-25. Sam Wacker scored 8 of his team-high 14 points and Dan Recht scored all of his 6 points in the second quarter.
BG could put up only a basket by Wacker in the third quarter and trailed 34-31.
Nick Prus hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 34-34 before the Cougars began connecting from the free-throw line.
George Pessimisis scored his only 2 points on free throws that put Conant ahead for good at 36-34 with 6:51 left.
BG stayed as close as 47-45 before Dylan Bartuch (13 points) scored and Osby connected on 3-of-4 free throws for a 52-45 lead with 35 seconds left.
“Conant came out in the second half much more physical,” said BG coach Ryan O’Connor. “We’ve been in some close games lately but tonight we stepped out of the norm for us. Hopefully this was a good lesson.”