Vets lift Patriots past Vernon Hills 51-46

When the game goes down to the wire, teams usually rely on their veterans to get the job done.

Friday afternoon, Stevenson did just that in the closing minutes of its game with Vernon Hills at the 31st annual Wheeling Wildcat Hardwood Classic.

Trailing by a point, Stevenson senior Henry Wood found teammate Jeff Levitt wide open to the right side of the 3-point arc. Not spending a moment to think about the shot, Levitt calmly buried the 3-pointer to put Stevenson ahead 47-46 and ultimately lead the Patriots to a 51-46 win.

Stevenson (5-5) will face Lake Park, a 52-42 winner over Streamwood, in the 5:30 p.m. Saturday consolation championship game. Vernon Hills (5-6) closes out the tournament with a 2 p.m. contest against Streamwood.

"I am very proud of how the team worked with each other to get the open shot," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. "We learned that we need to step into the shots instead of being like a first baseman and waiting for the ball."

With Vernon Hills leading 46-44 with 2:04 to go, sophomore DaVaris Daniels (10 points) drove the lane for what looked to be a potential 3-point-play. At the last minute, Wood stepped in and took the charge, keeping the lead to just 2 points.

"Coach told us that (Vernon Hills) would be looking back door and to rotate down and get the charge," said Wood, who also contributed 10 boards and 7 points.

Stevenson held the Cougars to just 1 field goal in the fourth quarter and none over the final seven minutes.

"I thought we might have started to get a little tight at the end," Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. "Our shots were a little off and the free throws we took came up a little short."

Stevenson ran the clock down on its next possession. The ball went into Wood and when the defense collapsed on the 6-foot-6 Patriot, he found his teammate all alone for the clinching 3-pointer.

"I started shooting more and stopped thinking about it," said Levitt, who led all scorers with 15 points. "Henry and I have the most experience and when we play well it definitely gets other guys to step it up."

Chris Morgan led Vernon Hills with 13 points, and Riaz Hoveydai chipped in with 12. Nate Johnson also hit double figures for Stevenson with 10.